Libreoffice has fubared updates/upgrades

[dep]

UPDATE: I just nuked LibreOffice and installed from scratch. Sometimes figuring out the problem is a lot more difficult than solving it.

So having grown weary of manually upgrading LibreOffice, I added the ppa, and for a year or so it has gone nicely (I'me using 12.04 LTS, btw), but then beginning a couple of weeks ago, I started getting this kind of thing (the example I give is from just now):

dep@dep-desktop:~$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade -f
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
Calculating upgrade... Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  linux-headers-3.2.0-68 linux-headers-3.2.0-68-generic
  linux-image-3.2.0-68-generic
The following packages will be upgraded:
  apport gimp gimp-data gimp-help-common gimp-help-en libgimp2.0
  libgimp2.0-dev libreoffice libreoffice-base libreoffice-report-builder-bin
  libreoffice-sdbc-firebird libreoffice-sdbc-hsqldb linux-generic
  linux-headers-generic linux-image-generic linux-libc-dev python-apport
  python-problem-report
18 upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
34 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0 B/109 MB of archives.
After this operation, 218 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
(Reading database ... 964678 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libreoffice-base 1:4.3.0-0ubuntu1~precise1 (using .../libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement libreoffice-base ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/lib/libreoffice/share/basic/dialog.xlc', which is also in package libreoffice-common 1:4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for menu ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Now, as you can see, it is also keeping other stuff from getting upgraded as well. There is plenty of room on the partition.

Ideas as to how I can proceed to clear this mess?

Thanks in advance.

[kubicle]

You can force dpkg to overwrite files in case there are conflicts within packages (same file belongs to more than one package)
"sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb"

Do note that the errors mean there is packaging problem with the packages, so there might be other issues with them (ppa-backports aren't tested as intensively as packages in the main repos)

[dep]

alas, but . . .

You can force dpkg to overwrite files in case there are conflicts within packages (same file belongs to more than one package)
"sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb"

Do note that the errors mean there is packaging problem with the packages, so there might be other issues with them (ppa-backports aren't tested as intensively as packages in the main repos)

Which brings us:

dep@dep-desktop:~$ sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb
(Reading database ... 964729 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace libreoffice-base 1:4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1 (using .../libreoffice-base_1%3a4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1_amd64.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement libreoffice-base ...
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of libreoffice-base:
 libreoffice-base depends on libreoffice-base-core (= 1:4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1); however:
  Package libreoffice-base-core is not configured yet.
 libreoffice-base depends on libreoffice-base-drivers (= 1:4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1); however:
  Package libreoffice-base-drivers is not configured yet.
 libreoffice-base depends on libreoffice-core (= 1:4.3.1~rc2-0ubuntu1~precise1); however:
  Package libreoffice-core is not configured yet.
 libreoffice-base depends on uno-libs3 (>= 4.1.0~alpha); however:
  Package uno-libs3 is not configured yet.
 libreoffice-base depends on ure; however:
  Package ure is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing libreoffice-base (--install):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Processing triggers for desktop-file-utils ...
Processing triggers for man-db ...
Processing triggers for menu ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 libreoffice-base

I'd just like to dig out of this mess -- wondering if an uninstall of LibreOffice would do it? Because it's constipated the whole system, I think.

[mbohets]

There has been an error in the libreoffice ppa, to solve it I had to remove the postrm script, see
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...ibreoffice+4.3

Your issue may be different though

[dep]

There has been an error in the libreoffice ppa, to solve it I had to remove the postrm script, see
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...ibreoffice+4.3

Your issue may be different though

Thanks. I tried that. No joy.

[claydoh]

Run
sudo dpkg --configure -a
That will attempt to configure the packages that need configuring,