[Bug 823961] [NEW] synaptic ignores preferences files in /etc/apt/preferences.d/

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Under Ubuntu 10.10, I created a file "/etc/apt/preferences.d/ubuntu-x
-swat-ppa-nvidia" (attached) containing pinning preferences for apt.
apt-get honours my preferences, offering me updates to the nvidia
packages only (I don't have or want ATI or Intel driver updates).
synaptic (and aptitude), however, only honours my preferences file if I
move it to "/etc/apt/preferences". I expect synaptic (and aptitude) to
honour my pinning preferences, whether they are stored in the
"/etc/apt/preferences" file or their own file in
"/etc/apt/preferences.d/".

Create pinning preferences file:
$ sudo vi /etc/apt/preferences.d/ubuntu-x-swat-ppa-nvidia

See what apt-get offers after upgrading nvidia packages to PPA versions via apt-get. Version info from /var/log/apt/history.log:
nvidia-current:amd64 (260.19.06-0ubuntu1, 280.13-0ubuntu1~maverick~xup1), nvidia-current-modaliases:amd64 (260.19.06-0ubuntu1, 280.13-0ubuntu1~maverick~xup1), nvidia-settings:amd64 (260.19.06-0ubuntu1, 280.13-0ubuntu1~maverick~xup1

Check apt-get doesn't offer any more upgrades:
$ sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

Run synaptic, offered upgrades to these other packages from PPA:
fglrx-modaliases intel-gpu-tools libdrm-intel1 libdrm-nouveau1 libdrm-radeon1 libdrm2 xserver-xorg-video-ati xserver-xorg-video-intel xserver-xorg-video-radeon]

Move preferences file:
$ sudo mv /etc/apt/preferences.d/ubuntu-x-swat-ppa-nvidia /etc/apt/preferences

Run synaptic, no longer offered upgrades to these other packages from
PPA.

$ lsb_release -rd
Description:	Ubuntu 10.10
Release:	10.10

$ apt-cache policy apt aptitude synaptic
apt:
  Installed: 0.8.3ubuntu7.1
  Candidate: 0.8.3ubuntu7.1
  Version table:
 *** 0.8.3ubuntu7.1 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     0.8.3ubuntu7 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64 Packages
aptitude:
  Installed: 0.6.3-2ubuntu4
  Candidate: 0.6.3-2ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 0.6.3-2ubuntu4 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
synaptic:
  Installed: 0.63.1ubuntu14
  Candidate: 0.63.1ubuntu14
  Version table:
 *** 0.63.1ubuntu14 0
        500 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ maverick/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

** Affects: aptitude (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

-- 
synaptic ignores preferences files in /etc/apt/preferences.d/
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/823961
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