Processing triggers for tex-common => E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[G.M.]

After dist-upgrading from 16.04 to 16.10 then running apt-get dist-upgrade

Processing triggers for tex-common (6.05) ...

Warning: Old configuration style found in /etc/texmf/updmap.d
Warning: For now these files have been included,
Warning: but expect inconsistencies.
Warning: These packages should be rebuild with tex-common.
Warning: Please see /usr/share/doc/tex-common/NEWS.Debian.gz
Warning: found file: /etc/texmf/updmap.d/10lmodern.cfg

texlive-base is not ready, delaying updmap-sys call
update-language: texlive-base not installed and configured, doing nothing!
texlive-base is not ready, skipping fmtutil --all call
Setting up texlive-base (2016.20160819-2) ...
mktexlsr: Updating /var/lib/texmf/ls-R-TEXLIVEDIST...
mktexlsr: Updating /var/lib/texmf/ls-R-TEXMFMAIN...
mktexlsr: Updating /var/lib/texmf/ls-R...
mktexlsr: Done.
/usr/bin/tl-paper: setting paper size for dvips to a4.
/usr/bin/tl-paper: setting paper size for dvipdfmx to a4.
/usr/bin/tl-paper: setting paper size for xdvi to a4.
/usr/bin/tl-paper: setting paper size for pdftex to a4.
Processing triggers for tex-common (6.05) ...

Warning: Old configuration style found in /etc/texmf/updmap.d
Warning: For now these files have been included,
Warning: but expect inconsistencies.
Warning: These packages should be rebuild with tex-common.
Warning: Please see /usr/share/doc/tex-common/NEWS.Debian.gz
Warning: found file: /etc/texmf/updmap.d/10lmodern.cfg

Running updmap-sys. This may take some time... done.
Running mktexlsr /var/lib/texmf ... done.
Building format(s) --all.
        This may take some time...
fmtutil failed. Output has been stored in
/tmp/fmtutil.VnoTRmP0
Please include this file if you report a bug.

dpkg: error processing package tex-common (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-generic-recommended:
 texlive-generic-recommended depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-generic-recommended (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-latex-base:
 texlive-latex-base depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-latex-base (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-latex-base-doc:
 texlive-latex-base-doc depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-latex-base-doc (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-pstricks:
 texlive-pstricks depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.
 texlive-pstricks depends on texlive-generic-recommended (>= 2016); however:
  Package texlive-generic-recommended is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-pstricks (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-latex-recommended:
 texlive-latex-recommended depends on texlive-latex-base (>= 2016); however:
  Package texlive-latex-base is not configured yet.
 texlive-latex-recommended depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-latex-recommended (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-extra-utils:
 texlive-extra-utils depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.
 texlive-extra-utils depends on texlive-latex-base (>= 2016); however:
  Package texlive-latex-base is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-extra-utils (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-pictures-doc:
 texlive-pictures-doc depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-pictures-doc (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of prosper:
 prosper depends on texlive-latex-base; however:
  Package texlive-latex-base is not configured yet.
 prosper depends on texlive-pstricks; however:
  Package texlive-pstricks is not configured yet.
 prosper depends on texlive-latex-recommended; however:
  Package texlive-latex-recommended is not configured yet.
 prosper depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package prosper (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-pstricks-doc:
 texlive-pstricks-doc depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-pstricks-doc (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-pictures:
 texlive-pictures depends on texlive-latex-recommended (>= 2016); however:
  Package texlive-latex-recommended is not configured yet.
 texlive-pictures depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-pictures (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-font-utils:
 texlive-font-utils depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-font-utils (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-latex-recommended-doc:
 texlive-latex-recommended-doc depends on tex-common (>= 6); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing package texlive-latex-recommended-doc (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.24-3ubuntu1) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 tex-common
 texlive-generic-recommended
 texlive-latex-base
 texlive-latex-base-doc
 texlive-pstricks
 texlive-latex-recommended
 texlive-extra-utils
 texlive-pictures-doc
 prosper
 texlive-pstricks-doc
 texlive-pictures
 texlive-font-utils
 texlive-latex-recommended-doc
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

not sure if it is the same as https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/tex-common/+bug/1236951

[G.M. (sexxxenator)]

For those with the same problem: the work around consists in commenting out the 2 lines starting with "cont-en" in /var/lib/texmf/web2c/fmtutil.cnf

Thanks to: https://lists.debian.org/debian-tex-maint/2016/07/msg00036.html

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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

[i2000s (i2000s)]

Do you mean the lines in /usr/share/texmf/web2c/fmtutil.cnf ? I don't have the file under /var/lib/texmf shown in your last comment. Anyway, commenting out the two lines didn't solve my problem...