Synaptic doesn't say what's Broken about a package

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

synaptic 0.57.8, Ubuntu Edgy
synaptic 0.80.2, Ubuntu 13.10
synaptic 0.84.3ubuntu1, Ubuntu 18.04

1. At a terminal, "sudo apt-get install 4g8 && sudo dpkg -r --force-depends libnet1"
2. Launch Synaptic.
3. Click "Close".
4. Click "Status", then "Broken dependencies".
5. Select "4g8", then "Properties", then "Dependencies".

What happens:

2. An alert appears: "You have 1 broken package on your system! Use the 'Broken' filter to locate it." https://launchpadlibrarian.net/158600432/68985-synaptic-1.png

5. Nowhere does Synaptic say what is broken about the package -- neither in the Properties window, nor anywhere else. https://launchpadlibrarian.net/158600481/68985-synaptic-2.png

What should happen:

2. Either the alert offers to take you directly to the "Broken dependencies" screen ("This system has 1 broken package. Would you like to review it now? ( Cancel ) ( Broken Packages… )"), or the alert does not exist and the main window instead invites you to go there in one click (perhaps using an InfoBar).

5. The "Properties" window for the broken package, at least, specifies exactly what is broken (for example, "Dependency libnet1 is not installed").
---
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-11-21 (243 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 17.10 "Artful Aardvark" - Release amd64 (20171018)
Package: synaptic 0.84.3ubuntu1
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-22.24-generic 4.15.17
Tags: bionic
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-22-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm cdrom dip lpadmin plugdev sambashare sudo
_MarkForUpload: True

[Matthew Woerly (nattgew)]

Apologies that no one has gotten back to you about this yet. Do you still have this problem?

[Renjith (renjith-idea)]

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 kubuntu-desktop : Depends: ark but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: dolphin but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kde-window-manager but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kde-zeroconf but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kdebase-workspace-bin but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kdemultimedia-kio-plugins but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kdepasswd but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kdm but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: khelpcenter4 but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: klipper but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: kmix but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: konsole but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: ksnapshot but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: ksysguard but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: language-selector-qt but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: okular but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: plasma-desktop but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: plasma-netbook but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: software-properties-kde but it is not going to be installed
                   Depends: systemsettings but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: akregator but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: amarok but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: apport-kde but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: apturl-kde but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: bluedevil but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: dragonplayer but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: gdebi-kde but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: gwenview but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: jockey-kde but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: k3b but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kaddressbook but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kamera but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kate but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kcalc but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kde-config-gtk but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kde-config-touchpad but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kdegraphics-strigi-plugins but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kdepim-kresources but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kdepim-runtime but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: kdepim-strigi-plugins but it is not going to be installed
                   Recommends: ...

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hello Matthew,
Thank you for submitting this bug and reporting a problem with synaptic. You made this bug report some time ago and Ubuntu has been updated since then.

Could you confirm that this is no longer a problem and that we can close the ticket?
If it is still a problem, are you still interested in finding a solution to this bug?
If you are, could you let us know and run the following (only once):
apport-collect BUGNUMBER
and upload the updated logs and and any other logs that are relevant for this particular issue.

Thank you again for helping make Ubuntu better.
G

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

apport information

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

apport information

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

apport information

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

apport information

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

apport information

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

I would be astounded if there were any “logs that are relevant for this particular issue”, since it’s about unhelpful behavior rather than accidental behavior. But here are the logs requested anyway.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks for the fast reply, Matthew. Is it ok if we close this ticket, then?
Take care
:)
G

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

Sorry, I don’t understand the question. As I noted in the description, the bug still exists in Ubuntu 18.04.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Matthew. Thanks for the update and the apport info. I'll look at next steps.
Take care
:)
G

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Matthew,
Would you say that this one is a feature/enhancement request?
Thanks
G

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

gf, I have no opinion on that. I’ve found that whether engineers consider something to be a feature/enhancement is sometimes very different from whether users do. (For example, it’s possible that Synaptic already contains code that describes what is Broken about a package, and it just isn’t triggering because of a logic or GTK error.) It also has only a vague relationship to how important it is: sometimes missing features are critically important, and sometimes bugs are inconsequential.

In this case, it’s a fairly uncommon situation (suggesting lower importance), but when you do encounter it, Synaptic is almost gratuitously unhelpful (suggesting higher importance). So I would triage it as Medium.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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