I did my "apt-get dist-upgrade" today and received the following message:
Setting up xlibs-data (4.3.0.dfsg.1-14) ... update-alternatives: internal error: /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/x-cursor-theme corrupt: missing newline after manflag dpkg: error processing xlibs-data (--configure): subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 2 It's happened before, it's described exactly in bug #289327. This was merged with #288753 but that is on a package (gtk2-engines-industrial) which is not installed in my case. In any case it was written off as a "hardware- or filesystem-related failure". Seems unlikely if two people get the same error on the same file with the same symptoms. Anyway, the bug has been archived and evidently it's not a big problem or more people would have complained. The file /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/x-cursor-theme was created during an upgrade on Dec 28 2004, two seconds before the alternative for www-browser was installed. The version of xlibs-data I had installed before this one was 4.3.0.dfsg.1-8 which fits with the timeframe of the original submitter. I've looked at the source of update-alternatives and I can't see how the alternatives file could possibly get filled with exactly 191 0xF6's. I don't need this system immediatly so if anyone has any ideas on how to track this problem down. Otherwise I'll just delete the file and continue and write it off as one of those things... Any ideas?