The file /var/dpkg/available became corrupted. debconf, dpkg, apt-get and synaptic could not work. The fix:
My suggestion, rather than messing around with editing and such, would be to do:
dpkg --clear-avail
: to clear the available list, then do:
apt-get update
: to repopulate it.
Ta.
--
—A watched bread-crumb never boils.
—My hover-craft is full of eels.
—[...]and that's the he and the she of it.
