Why apt holds something back, was - Re: Learn from suse install to improve my Ubuntu install?

[ubuntu at rio.vg]

Scott Kitterman wrote:
> On Thursday 10 August 2006 10:34, ubuntu at rio.vg wrote:
> 
>> (As an aside, this should probably be in another thread, but is there
>> any way possible to get apt to tell you WHY a package is in its "Held
>> back" list?  I know you can try things like dist-upgrade, but that's
>> really a microsoft way of doing things.  I'd like to know WHY, rather
>> than just keep trying things to see if it works.)
> 
> Usually if I use -V (note the caps) it shows what versions are involved and 
> that's generally enough of a hint for me.  From man apt-get:
> 
>        -V, --verbose-versions
>               Show full versions for upgraded and installed packages. 
> Configuration Item: APT::Get::Show-Versions.
> 
> Last time I had a problem (upgrading to KDE 3.5.4) things were pretty verbose:
> 
> https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/55547
> 
> I did install some extra apt utilities.  Here is what I currently have:
> 
> apt  0.6.43.3ubuntu2  Advanced front-end for dpkg
> apt-listbugs  0.0.49ubuntu1  Lists critical bugs before each apt installa
> apt-listchanges  2.59-0.2ubuntu7   Display change history from .deb archives
> apt-rdepends  1.3.0-1  Recursively lists package dependencies
> apt-utils   0.6.43.3ubuntu2  APT utility programs
> 
> Only apt and apt-utils are standard.
> 

The last time I had the problem, -V really didn't help.  It shoes the
two versions, and the version numbers were different, of course, since
the package would be upgraded.  Nothing meaningful is gleaned from
version numbers.

Do apt-listchanges and apt-rdepends change this behavior?