fetchmailconf does not start

[Carson Chittom]

Binary package hint: fetchmailconf

I have installed fetchmailconf 6.3.9~rc2-4ubuntu1 on Ubuntu 9.04; /usr/bin/fetchmailconf -- a shell script to start the real Python script -- fails to start because it looks for the real fetchmailconf script in the wrong place.

/usr/bin/fetchmailconf as installed reads:

#! /bin/sh
exec /usr/bin/python /usr/lib/`pyversions -d`/site-packages/fetchmailconf.py "$@"

Changing "site-packages" to "dist-packages" fixes the problem and allows fetchmailconf to start.

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

I can confirm this bug, as well as the diagnostic of fetchmailconf.py living under ./dist-packages.

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

As pointed out by Conrad in bug #364784, the ./site-package part is valid in python2.5. Is this something we want to consider while fixing this bug?

[Andreas Moog (ampelbein)]

You could change it to

exec /usr/bin/python /usr/lib/`pyversions -d`/*-packages/fetchmailconf.py "$@"

That way the expression catches both.

[Lincoln "JBadger" Kliman (f-launchpad)]

I an not confirm this was the problem with me but I had the problem that the shell for the user fetchmail was set to /bin/false
changing this to
/bin/sh
fixed the problem for me

[Kehan Harman (kehan)]

@~amoog's fix worked for me on jaunty.

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

This problem is still present in Karmic and fetchmailconf 6.3.9~rc2-4ubuntu2.

Uploading a debdiff which fixes the bug using Andreas Moog's solution based on "/*-packages". While there could very well be creative things a user can do, which might disturb that solution, those creativities might as well ruin the already present `pyversions -d` part.

My debdiff also changes the Maintainer field to Ubuntu MOTU Developers, as fetchmail lives in the Universe repository.

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

Hmm, seems as if I wasn't entirely up-to-date regarding current Maintainer-field-policy. Uploading a new debdiff, using Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <email address hidden>.

[Andreas Moog (ampelbein)]

As fetchmail lives in "main", I unsubscribed the universe sponsors and subscribed main sponsors ;-)

[Andreas Moog (ampelbein)]

Also, please don't announce the maintainer-field change in the changelog, you don't need to point that out.

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

Guess I got confused about the binary package fetchmailconf living in universe. Didn't know that a source package could contain both main- and universe packages.

[Thierry Carrez (ttx)]

It seems safer to just replace site- by dist- (rather than by *-) since python2.6 is the default for karmic and fetchmailconf.py lives there. If you agree, please submit a new debdiff that would do that (and omit the DebianMaintainer changelog entry since we don't track DebianMaintainer changes in changelog, like Andreas Moog said). Thanks !

[Andreas Olsson (andol)]

Yes, I guess being explicit about dist-packages is a safe choice. Especially since that seems to be what Python 3 will continue using.

Uploading new debdiff

[Thierry Carrez (ttx)]

Uploaded, I just bumped the version number since a new version was uploaded in the meantime.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package fetchmail - 6.3.9~rc2-4ubuntu4

---------------
fetchmail (6.3.9~rc2-4ubuntu4) karmic; urgency=low

  * Fixes Python 2.6 compatibility, by looking for fetchmailconf.py
    in /usr/lib/`pyversions -d`/dist-packages (LP: #371072)

 -- Andreas Olsson <email address hidden> Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:09:38 +0200

[Brownout (brownout)]

It is broken in Jaunty as well. Any chance of having a working package before October?

[Tenho Tuhkala (muppis)]

It is still broken in Maverick.