package gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6 failed to install/upgrade: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up

[Christopher Mann]

Problems with Ubuntu16.04 after upgrading from 14.04.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-34.53-lowlatency 4.4.15
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-34-lowlatency x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sat Aug 13 18:51:41 2016
ErrorMessage: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-08-16 (729 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Studio 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140416.3)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.1
 apt 1.2.12~ubuntu16.04.1
SourcePackage: gcc-defaults
Title: package gcc-doc 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6 failed to install/upgrade: there is no script in the new version of the package - giving up
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2016-08-13 (0 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[TBeholder (turbobeholder)]

Not limited to 4:4.8.2-1ubuntu6.
> Errors were encountered while processing:
> /var/cache/apt/archives/cpp-doc_4%3a5.3.1-1ubuntu1_amd64.deb

I got this on distupgrade too. Which ran into some other bug and broke the process in the middle.
The good part: "dpkg --configure -a" from terminal still worked - configured the whole list, and now almost everything works.

But cpp-doc still stuck like this, forever marked for upgrade, and even installing other versions (cpp-4.8-doc_4.8.5-4ubuntu2_all.deb or cpp-5-doc_5.4.0-6ubuntu1~16.04.4_all.deb) on top does not change anything - any attempt to uninstall or reinstall fails.

I can even install and upgrade things in synaptic, but then there's an error and terminal does not close, derp.

[Matthias Klose (doko)]

closing this as won't fix, sorry.

New installations of 18.04 LTS and 20.04 LTS should be fine.