apt-get-upgrade : "The following packages have been kept back"

By Druss , 4 November, 2007

If you ever find yourself running into a monotonous

"The following packages have been kept back"

error message when you run sudo apt-get upgrade, then the "fix" is to either run apt-get dist-upgrade which is quicker, but sounds more ... dangerous or to run apt-get install [package list] where package list is a list of all packages that have been kept back.

How this is not considered a bug, I have no idea. Apparently, the package in question depends on a new package which has not yet been installed and the dist-upgrade apparently looks and suggests, while plain upgrade does not.

I wonder how adept and synaptic handle this situation behind the scenes.

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