gnome-software will not install a package with un-met dependencies

[Aere Greenway]

gnome-software (Software Install) fails to resolve un-met dependencies (installing them) when installing a Debian package.

In prior releases, Ubuntu Software Center (and Gdebi) would do this.

In the 16.04, when you click the "Install" button, it re-displays (as with other installation cases), but when you again click the "Install" button, it appears to hang, with the system apparently doing nothing, and no progress indicator of any type visible.

In 16.04, the Gdebi Package Installer still does successfully install the dependencies, and install the package.

After installing the dependencies (using Gdebi) Software Install (gnome-software) would then successfully install the package, so it appears to be a problem with installing the dependencies.

The release I am using here is Ubuntu-Gnome 16.04, but the problem was also observed on all other Ubuntu 'flavors' using gnome-software as the installer.

The version of the package gnome-software is: 3.20.1+git20160420.1.ca63436.ubuntu-xenial-0ubuntu2

I expected it to install the dependencies, and then install the package (as Ubuntu Software Center used to do).

What happened instead, is it appeared to hang, with the system doing nothing (I waited a few minutes, and didn't see the DSL modem flashing, and nothing further happened). I eventually gave up, and installed the package using gdebi. After doing that (and the dependencies were installed), gnome-software would successfully install the package it wouldn't install before.

I have attached one of the Debian packages I was trying to install (which Gdebi successfully installed).

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: gnome-software 3.20.1+git20160420.1.ca63436.ubuntu-xenial-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-21.37-generic 4.4.6
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-21-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Mon Apr 25 16:51:25 2016
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-04-24 (1 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-GNOME 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160421)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=xterm-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: gnome-software
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. Currently the installation of deb is broken (see bug #1573408) are you sure your issue has to do with depends and not with that rather? Would be interesting to try with the SRU which is going to be uploaded today to see if it resolves your issue

[Aere Greenway (aere)]

On 04/26/2016 07:05 AM, Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> Thank you for your bug report. Currently the installation of deb is
> broken (see bug #1573408) are you sure your issue has to do with depends
> and not with that rather? Would be interesting to try with the SRU which
> is going to be uploaded today to see if it resolves your issue
>
> ** Changed in: gnome-software (Ubuntu)
> Importance: Low => High
>
> ** Changed in: gnome-software (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>
I think my problem is the same as bug #1573206.

The reason I suspect the problem is related to installing required
dependencies, is that after I got all of the dependencies installed by
other means, Software Install would then successfully install the package.

--
Sincerely,
Aere