apt-get generates odd errors

whittycat · 05-27-2011, 03:23 PM

I am running Debian Lenny and if I try to install something with apt-get it
behaves normally until near the end when I get this sort of thing:

Code:

Processing triggers for menu ...
/usr/share/menu/w3m: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `w3m'
/usr/share/menu/w3m: line 1: `?package(w3m):needs="text" section="Apps/Net"\'
Execution of /usr/share/menu/w3m generated no output or returned an error.
/usr/share/menu/tcsh: line 1: syntax error near unexpected token `tcsh'
/usr/share/menu/tcsh: line 1: `?package(tcsh):needs="text" section="Apps/Shells"\'

and more of the same. The file w3m contains this:

Code:

?package(w3m):needs="text" section="Apps/Net"\
  title="w3m" command="/usr/bin/w3m /usr/share/doc/w3m/MANUAL.html" \
  hints="Web browsers"

So what please is the syntax error and how do I correct it? What is the function of /usr/share/menu?

pljvaldez · 05-27-2011, 03:33 PM

What does your sources.list look like?

I believe /usr/share/menu is the Debian menu system. It populates the "Debian" menu in whatever desktop you're using.

craigevil · 05-27-2011, 05:57 PM

w3m file here:

Code:

 cat /usr/share/menu/w3m
?package(w3m):needs="text" \
  section="Applications/Network/Web Browsing" \
  title="w3m" \
  command="/usr/bin/w3m /usr/share/doc/w3m/MANUAL.html" \
  hints="Web browsers"

My suggestion would be to purge w3m, apt-get purge w3m. Post any errors that might generate.

Debian Menu System - http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/menu.html/

whittycat · 05-28-2011, 06:40 AM

Ah, so I've got a bit of reading to do. Give me a couple of days and I'll report
back.

whittycat · 05-28-2011, 08:47 AM

Thanks for the comment pljvaldez. Here is my sources.list (but I think it is ok):

Code:

deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free
deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ lenny main contrib non-free

deb http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib
deb-src http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib

I had a quick read of the document on menus and I still can't see that there
is a syntax error, except perhaps that the section for w3m is given as Apps/Net
but I don't seem to have a section Apps (I do have Applications) and Apps is
not in the Debian policy document either. This is probably not the problem though
because the menu file for xsane has section="Applications/Graphics".

Whatever the problem was I took your advice and purged all four of the
applications (it purged gnome as well but I use KDE). I purged and re-installed
tcsh and now there are no menu errors. So thank you very very much.

jeremy-passarelli · 05-29-2011, 08:23 AM

Why are you even running Lenny?

widget · 05-29-2011, 05:08 PM

You may want to add these

Code:

deb http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports lenny-backports main
deb-src http://backports.debian.org/debian-backports lenny-backports main

Just a suggestion and no help in your current problem.

The syntax looks good to me too although I thought the "ftp" entries looked like;

Code:

deb ftp://mirror.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/debian/ testing main contrib non-free

I don't have an install of Lenny. That being the case I can't check on "apps" there but there is certainly a /usr/share/apps in Squeeze and Wheezy.

Quote:

tom@debian:~$ ls /usr/share/apps
konsole

It does not have much in it. It would not hurt to create such a directory in your install. You can always remove it later.

@jeremy-passarelli
Lenny is the "old stable". It will be maintained until Wheezy (current testing) becomes the "stable". At that time you will see Squeeze (current stable) become the old stable and folks will need to move on from Lenny at that time.

While I do not have Lenny installed here there are folks that do not have a fetish for the cutting edge. There are, forgive the reference to MS, still more folks using MS XP than MS Vista AND MS 7. Lenny is surely as up to date as XP and it is supported which is more than can be said for XP.

TobiSGD · 05-29-2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widget

Lenny is the "old stable". It will be maintained until Wheezy (current testing) becomes the "stable".

Nope, oldstable is only supported for one year after the new stable is released. From the Debian Wiki's DebianOldStable page:

Quote:

How long will security updates be provided?

The security team tries to support a stable distribution for about one year after the next stable distribution has been released, except when another stable distribution is released within this year.

widget · 05-29-2011, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

Nope, oldstable is only supported for one year after the new stable is released. From the Debian Wiki's DebianOldStable page:

Well, he says in a huff, I stand corrected again.

Good thing folks watch out for grumpy geezers and their bad memories.