Package won't install but it won't give error message

[Teo]

Steps to reproduce:

- I have package "virtualbox-4.0" currently installed
- I try to install package "virtualbox-4.1" by double clicking on the .deb file which I downloaded from http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.1.8/virtualbox-4.1_4.1.8-75467~Ubuntu~oneiric_i386.deb
This opens the Ubuntu Software Center

- A green checkmark (as if meaning "ok") is shown and below the following message appears "Breaks existing package 'virtualbox-4.0' that conflict: "Virtualbox". But the 'xxxx.deb' provides it via: 'virtualbox'

The second part starting with "But" seems to mean that the package CAN be installed, and most importantly, there is an "Install" button on the right which is not greyed out. Together with the green checkmark this all gives me the confidence that I can safely click "Install" and expect the package to be installed.

- So I click on "Install".

=> Observed behavior: the "install" buttoninstantly greys out and nothing happens. The package is not installed and NO ERROR MESSAGE is shown

Expected behavior: either the package should be installed succesfully, or an error message dialog should appear explaining why it cannot be installed
Or, if the conflict is the reason why the package cannot be installed, the "Install" button should not be shown at all (or should be greyed out from the beginning) and a red cross icon should be shown instead of the green check mark.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: software-center 5.0.3.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-15.24-generic 3.0.13
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-15-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
Date: Sun Jan 8 15:46:50 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release i386 (20100429)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: software-center
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-12-07 (31 days ago)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Craig Weber (weberc2)]

I'm getting a similar bug when I try to install Bazaar gtk-3. When I run software-center-gtk3 from the command line, I get the following output:

someone@someone-UBook:~$ software-center-gtk3
2012-02-25 01:34:10,510 - softwarecenter.ui.gtk3.em - INFO - EM's: 17 15 21
2012-02-25 01:34:11,699 - softwarecenter.ui.gtk3.utils - INFO - Softwarecenter style provider for adwaita Gtk theme: /usr/share/software-center/ui/gtk3/css/softwarecenter.css
2012-02-25 01:34:13,003 - softwarecenter.backend.spawn_helper - WARNING - exit code 1 from helper
2012-02-25 01:34:13,004 - softwarecenter.backend.spawn_helper - WARNING - got error from helper: 'ERROR:__main__:available_apps
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/share/software-center/piston_get_scagent_available_apps.py", line 148, in <module>
    piston_reply = scaclient.available_apps(**kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/validators.py", line 41, in wrapper
    return func(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/validators.py", line 41, in wrapper
    return func(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/validators.py", line 41, in wrapper
    return func(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/__init__.py", line 120, in wrapper
    body = func(self, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/share/software-center/softwarecenter/backend/piston/scaclient_pristine.py", line 22, in available_apps
    scheme=PUBLIC_API_SCHEME)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/__init__.py", line 321, in _get
    headers=headers)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/piston_mini_client/__init__.py", line 474, in _request
    method=method, body=body, headers=headers)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1375, in request
    (response, new_content) = self.request(info['-x-permanent-redirect-url'], "GET", headers = headers, redirections = redirections - 1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1375, in request
    (response, new_content) = self.request(info['-x-permanent-redirect-url'], "GET", headers = headers, redirections = redirections - 1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1375, in request
    (response, new_content) = self.request(info['-x-permanent-redirect-url'], "GET", headers = headers, redirections = redirections - 1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1375, in request
    (response, new_content) = self.request(info['-x-permanent-redirect-url'], "GET", headers = headers, redirections = redirections - 1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1375, in request
    (response, new_content) = self.request(info['-x-permanent-redirect-url'], "GET", headers = headers, redirections = redirections - 1)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/httplib2/__init__.py", line 1374, in request
    raise RedirectLimit("Redirected more times than rediection_limit allows.", {}, "")
RedirectLimit: Redirected more times than rediection_limit allows.
'
2012-02-25 01:34:13,004 - softwarecenter.db.update - WARNING - e...

[Gary Lasker (gary-lasker)]

Hi Mateo, and thank you for your bug report. Are you still experiencing this issue with recent versions of Software Center? Many fixes have gone in and it's very possible that this issue has been resolved for you. If that is the case, please let us know so that we can close this bug, or feel free to close it yourself.

If you are still getting the error, however, and so that we can try to gather more information to help us to debug this issue, could you please try running Software Center from a terminal window as follows:

  $ software-center

Then then please paste any output in the terminal to this bug report.

Thanks! Your help is much appreciated!

[Teo (teo1978)]

I don't know, i don't have the original packages to test with.

[Gary Lasker (gary-lasker)]

Hi Matteo, thank you for reporting back so quickly. I'll close this bug then, but if you do run in to this problem again or have any other issues or problems with Software Center, please continue to report them. Your help is much appreciated!

Many thanks,
Gary

[teo1978 (teo8976)]

Here I am with the same issue 5 years later.
Woder why this was closed.