problem removing package

[Derek Broughton]

Please don't top-post.  It makes it difficult to have a conversation.

Mario Spinthiras wrote:

> just do a dpkg -P --force package-name
> 
> On Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 10:28 AM, Amichai Rotman
> <amichai at iglu.org.il>wrote:
> 
>> I'd try using Aptitude. It has a more intuitive and friendly way to
>> resolve conflics / problems and gives you a few leads to follow...
>>
>> On Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 06:23, Sergio Belkin <sebelk at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I tried to remove a package in Ubuntu Hardy Heron with no sucess, look
>>> at as follows:
>>>
>>> root at coldplay:/home/sergio/Descarga# apt-get remove -f elvis

Obviously elvis and coldplay are incompatible :-)

>>> dpkg: error processing elvis (--remove):
>>>  subprocess pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
>>> Errors were encountered while processing:
>>>  elvis
>>> E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Please, these are completely unhelpful suggestions.  Neither aptitude nor
dpkg are going to be any better at this, as dpkg _still_ has to run the
prerm script before it can work.

First, you really shouldn't be running _as_ root, out of your home
directory.  You'll be really unhappy when root writes something in there
that prevents applications running as you, later.

You could remove /var/lib/dpkg/info/elvis.prerm, which would fix the
immediate issue, but I suspect you'd still have the same problem with every
other package, as it seems to be that the "editor" alternatives are messed
up, and nothing to do with elvis itself.

Try:
# sudo update-alternatives --config editor

and set "editor" to some other editor (you can change it back if that's not
your preference).
-- 
derek