Long descriptions missing from apt cache - affects software-center etc

[Kiwinote]

apt 1.0.9.10ubuntu6 and 1.0.9.10ubuntu7 - ubuntu wily

It appears that on wily the long package descriptions are missing from the apt-cache. As a result of this bug full package descriptions are missing (amongst others) in software-center, update-manager, synaptic etc.

The files like /var/lib/apt/lists/archive.ubuntu.com_ubuntu_dists_wily_universe_i18n_Translation-en do exist with a recent timestamp, so it looks the downloading of the translations has taken place.

Using the python bindings cache['gimp'].candidate.description returns an empty string.

Apt-cache also seems to be missing the 'Description-en' key:

$ apt-cache show gimp
Package: gimp
Priority: optional
Section: graphics
Installed-Size: 15538
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <email address hidden>
Original-Maintainer: Ari Pollak <email address hidden>
Architecture: amd64
Version: 2.8.14-1ubuntu2
Replaces: gimp-plugin-registry (<< 4.20120506)
Provides: gimp-python
Depends: libgimp2.0 (>= 2.8.14), libgimp2.0 (<= 2.8.14-z), gimp-data (>= 2.8.14), gimp-data (<= 2.8.14-z), python-gtk2 (>= 2.8.0), libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 (>= 2.24.1), libaa1 (>= 1.4p5), libbabl-0.1-0 (>= 0.1.10), libbz2-1.0, libc6 (>= 2.15), libcairo2 (>= 1.10.2), libdbus-1-3 (>= 1.0.2), libdbus-glib-1-2 (>= 0.88), libexif12 (>= 0.6.21-1~), libfontconfig1 (>= 2.9.0), libfreetype6 (>= 2.2.1), libgegl-0.3-0 (>= 0.3.0), libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.41.1), libgs9 (>= 8.61.dfsg.1), libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.24.10), libgudev-1.0-0 (>= 146), libjasper1, libjpeg8 (>= 8c), liblcms2-2 (>= 2.2+git20110628), libmng2 (>= 1.0.10), libpango-1.0-0 (>= 1.29.4), libpangocairo-1.0-0 (>= 1.29.4), libpangoft2-1.0-0 (>= 1.29.4), libpng12-0 (>= 1.2.13-4), libpoppler-glib8 (>= 0.18.0), librsvg2-2 (>= 2.14.4), libtiff5 (>= 4.0.3), libwmf0.2-7 (>= 0.2.8.4), libx11-6, libxcursor1 (>> 1.1.2), libxext6, libxfixes3, libxmu6, libxpm4, zlib1g (>= 1:1.1.4), python:any (>= 2.6.6-7~), python2.7
Recommends: ghostscript
Suggests: gimp-help-en | gimp-help, gimp-data-extras, gvfs-backends, libasound2
Breaks: gimp-plugin-registry (<< 4.20120506)
Filename: pool/main/g/gimp/gimp_2.8.14-1ubuntu2_amd64.deb
Size: 3476280
MD5sum: d33d0d48362d03767f486185fa3e21cf
SHA1: 8f65b842f5ec4a07b8ebf71c13ed9f97ed886474
SHA256: 92eebf090c4f7f7e7ec5d9a06f3fe34f35221c44602d290201b05aa73b2ff2e1
Description: The GNU Image Manipulation Program
Description-md5: ad6dd18a09fb86ea4529ac53f33168b9
Homepage: http://www.gimp.org/
Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Origin: Ubuntu
Supported: 9m
Task: ubuntu-usb, edubuntu-desktop-gnome, edubuntu-usb, ubuntustudio-publishing, ubuntustudio-photography, ubuntustudio-graphics

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

Thanks for taking your time to reporting this issue and help making Ubuntu better.

I can confirm this issue, I don't see the long description with apt 1.0.9.10ubuntu6 on Ubuntu Wily either.

On my 15.04 system, I get the following output when looking up gimp:
...
SHA1: 5f4efa1fc89b4d78ebdecf4556ac17c5c477373d
SHA256: efd0f5e0ec64d921fca0b25b0333b83907fc63654b3c4657c144d41bc8923a68
Description-en: The GNU Image Manipulation Program
 GIMP is an advanced picture editor. You can use it to edit, enhance, and
 retouch photos and scans, create drawings, and make your own images.
 It has a large collection of professional-level editing tools and
 filters, similar to the ones you might find in Photoshop. Numerous
 fine-control settings and features like layers, paths, masks, and
 scripting give you total control over your images.
 .
 Many image file formats are supported, including JPEG, Photoshop (.psd),
 and Paint Shop Pro (.psp) files. It can also be used to scan and print
 photos.
 .
 To open files remotely (like over HTTP), install the gvfs-backends
 package.
 .
 To use a MIDI device (like a musical keyboard) as an input controller in GIMP,
 install libasound2 and read the how-to at /usr/share/doc/gimp/README.MIDI
Description-md5: ad6dd18a09fb86ea4529ac53f33168b9
Homepage: http://www.gimp.org/
...

[Pau Garcia i Quiles (pgquiles)]

Same problem here.

If you delete the /var/lib/apt/lists, then apt-cache show will show the long description.

If you apt-get update, then apt-cache show will once more not show the long description.

[Kiwinote (kiwinote)]

I've had a look into this and it seems that if I take the latest version of apt in wily and apply the changes as set out in https://github.com/Debian/apt/commit/8965b2f8e6738463c20f69e76ba888a8d77225e3 then I consistently get all descriptions showing both in English and other languages. I don't know the apt codebase, nor do I know c++, so this should be looked over by someone with a bit more knowledge.

[Doug McMahon (mc3man)]

They didn't transition apt* to gcc5
Maybe it should be considered to use 1.0.10.2 from Debian Stretch, installing here fixes this -
apt_1.0.10.2
apt-utils_1.0.10.2
apt-transport-https_1.0.10.2
libapt-pkg4.16_1.0.10.2

Otherwise some cherry picks or just wait for 16.04 which possibly could get more attention during dev, ect.

[David Kalnischkies (donkult)]

The patchset applied in ubuntu for the gcc5 transition wasn't complete; I thought that it would have been synced back by now, but it seems not… – I had added a few more changes on top of Michaels changes (including the one Kiwinote referred to) to make it not only build, but also build something passing our testcases (as the only partly working Translation-* trashes our testcases). That is also the cause for other recent bugreport like #1497534 here I would guess.

It is probably not the worst idea to think about applying 8965b2f8 (the one mentioned above) – even if it is technically an abibreak, in practice only libapt itself is using (and is actually able to use) the symbol which is why in newer libapt versions the symbol isn't even exported anymore. 130f34b7 should be applied as well for entirely different reasons (even through it isn't a security fix in any way, it should be dealt with as one). No idea where Ubuntu is in the release cycle frankly as I have other things to worry about at the moment, but instead of cherry-picking these it might be better to use the entire release. They are well tested by now and bugfix only…

Feel free to ask me for more details if need be, but expect delays as I read mail between two grape presses at the Most (pun intended, even through mostly a my-region-only pun).

And a, btw mc3man: I wouldn't advice to install the Debian version directly on Ubuntu – it depends on the wrong archive-keyring for example. At the very least, you should recompile it, then the buildsystem will take care of setting the right things.

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

I think merging to the latest Debian apt release is the saner thing here, as David hints at. It just needs me or Michael to find a few spare moments to get it done and uploaded. Will look in a bit.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package apt - 1.0.10.2ubuntu1

---------------
apt (1.0.10.2ubuntu1) wily; urgency=medium

  * merged from debian/sid (LP: #1486061)
  * this fixes a subtle ABI difference between debian and ubuntu
  * add breaks for rdepends to ensure smooth wily->wily transtition
    for the ABI fix. this can be dropped post-wily

apt (1.0.10.2) unstable; urgency=high

  * Do not parse Status fields from remote sources

apt (1.0.10.1) unstable; urgency=medium

  * hide first pdiff merge failure debug message (Closes: 793444)
  * mark again deps of pkgs in APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections as manual.
    Thanks to Raphaël Hertzog and Adam Conrad for detailed reports and
    initial patches (Closes: 793360) (LP: #1479207)
  * explicitly build-dep on g++ (>= 4:5.2) for gcc5 transition

apt (1.0.10) unstable; urgency=medium

  [ Zhou Mo ]
  * po: update zh_CN translation slightly
  * po: Update Simplified Chinese programs translation

  [ Mert Dirik ]
  * Turkish translation update for apt (Closes: #789491)

  [ Yuri Kozlov ]
  * Russian program translation update (Closes: 789709)

  [ Milo Casagrande ]
  * Italian program translation update (Closes: 782122)

  [ Beatrice Torracca ]
  * Italian manpage translation update (Closes: 776702)

  [ Julian Andres Klode ]
  * ExecFork: Use /proc/self/fd to determine which files to close
    (Closes: #764204)

  [ Michael Vogt ]
  * Prepare new 1.0.10 release with gcc5 abi transition

  [ David Kalnischkies ]
  * stop depending on copy-on-write for std::string
  * bump next-abi check above gcc5-abi bump
  * update symbols file to use gcc5 abi mangling

 -- Michael Vogt <email address hidden> Mon, 05 Oct 2015 16:20:37 +0200