cannot remove xz-utils

[psl]

Binary package hint: xz-utils

Ubuntu 10.10 i386. I installed xz-utils package yesterday by 'apt-get install xz-utils'

Some program deleted my /dev/null yesterday. When I tried to reinstall packages I installed yestarday I found I cannot remove xz-utils package; package is broken:

# apt-cache show xz-utils | grep Version
Version: 4.999.9beta+20100527-1

# apt-get remove xz-utils
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 dpkg : PreDepends: xz-utils but it is not going to be installed
 erlang-syntax-tools : Depends: erlang-base (= 1:13.b.3-dfsg-2ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                                erlang-base-hipe (= 1:13.b.3-dfsg-2ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed
 librdf0 : Depends: libraptor1 (>= 1.4.19) but it is not going to be installed
           Depends: librasqal2 (>= 0.9.18) but it is not going to be installed
 libsdl1.2debian : Depends: libsdl1.2debian-alsa (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            libsdl1.2debian-all (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            libsdl1.2debian-esd (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            libsdl1.2debian-oss (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            libsdl1.2debian-nas (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed or
                            libsdl1.2debian-pulseaudio (= 1.2.14-6ubuntu3) but it is not going to be installed
 openjdk-6-jre : Depends: libasound2 (> 1.0.22)
                 Depends: libpulse0 (>= 0.9.16) but it is not going to be installed
                 Depends: libxtst6 but it is not going to be installed
                 Depends: libaccess-bridge-java-jni but it is not going to be installed
 openjdk-6-jre-headless : Depends: openjdk-6-jre-lib (>= 6b20-1.9.5-0ubuntu1) but it is not going to be installed
                          Depends: ca-certificates-java but it is not going to be installed
                          Depends: tzdata-java but it is not going to be installed
                          Recommends: icedtea-6-jre-cacao (= 6b20-1.9.5-0ubuntu1) but it is not going to be installed
 soprano-daemon : Depends: libraptor1 (>= 1.4.19) but it is not going to be installed
E: Broken packages

[Rolf Leggewie (r0lf)]

Sorry to say, but you are tinkering with your computer way beyond your skill level, it seems. It's thus not a bug when you shoot yourself in the foot in the process.

"dpkg : PreDepends: xz-utils" Why on earth are you trying to remove it?