update-software-center-agent crashed with OSError in rmtree(): [Errno 39] Directory not empty: '/home/username/.cache/software-center/software-center-agent.db'

[Shane]

I had chosen a package to install (Gnumeric) and was scrolling
through the information about it.

ProblemType: Crash
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: software-center 5.1.13.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-20.33-generic 3.2.12
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-20-generic i686
ApportVersion: 1.95-0ubuntu1
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Mar 28 18:24:34 2012
ExecutablePath: /usr/share/software-center/update-software-center-agent
InterpreterPath: /usr/bin/python2.7
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcCmdline: /usr/bin/python /usr/share/software-center/update-software-center-agent --datadir /usr/share/software-center/
PythonArgs: ['/usr/share/software-center/update-software-center-agent', '--datadir', '/usr/share/software-center/']
SourcePackage: software-center
Title: update-software-center-agent crashed with OSError in rmtree(): [Errno 39] Directory not empty: '/home/username/.cache/software-center/software-center-agent.db'
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-03-04 (23 days ago)
UserGroups: adm admin audio cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[Kristian (oa-kristian-ot)]

can confirm this.

the softwarecenter crash randomly for at least 4 of our users.

I think all four users are on upgraded precise installs. installed as 11.10 and 'do-dist-upgrade' to 12.04.

[Twbecker (twbecker)]

I'm on a from-scratch precise install and still see this. Open software center, do a search, and it crashes as I'm looking at the results.

[Dennis Schieferdecker (master-of-past-and-present)]

I have the same issue on a fresh Ubuntu 12.10 installation. My home directory is an NFS mount and I figured out the error occurs since the directory that the software center wants to delete still contains hidden .nfs temporary files.

[Aritchie (aritchie)]

I am running a fresh install of 12.04 as well and this has been going on for sometime but I noticed that it only happens when the Software Center starts with a slideshow showcasing apps. Sometimes it starts with only 1 "billboard" and it does not crash with this, only with the slidesohow.

[Aritchie (aritchie)]

A follow-up:

Ubuntu Desktop 12.04.2 LTS
Linux Kernel 3.5.0-25
Ubuntu Software Center 5.2.9

[Ben Stanley (ben-stanley)]

I still see this after updating to raring.

The hidden .nfs temporary files in the /home/username/.cache/software-center/software-center-agent.db directory are held open by the process
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/unity-lens-applications/unity-applications-daemon

That is why they have not disappeared.
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11228079/python-remove-directory-error-file-exists

So why is unity-applications-daemon holding these files open? Is it sensible for update-software-center-agent to be trying to remove the directory when something else can be keeping the files in it open?