Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

[Knew]

Often, but not always, when I go to install a new package in Adept, "Preview Changes" lists the packages "python-tclink", "python2.4-tclink" and "libssl0.9.7" as marked for installation.

If I quit and restart Adept and again select the same packages I did the first time, none of which require "python-tclink", the three unwanted packages are no longer listed.

Since "python-tclink" is used for credit card processing, I'm wondering if I've caught some sort of sneaky trojan or spyware.

I've got both multiverse and backports activated, and I think it started after the latest Amarok update, but that may just be a coincidence.

Any ideas?

[askrieger]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

I don't think that you need python-tclink, which is a dummy package for python2.4-tclink unless you are a business that accepts credit cards over the net. Libssl, on the other hand, is needed to run ssh or sftp. If you log in to work or school, you need ssh and sftp. Even if all you do is buy stuff, you use ssl when you place your order. However, the current version is libssl0.9.8a-7ubuntu0.2. You should have this installed already because it is classified as priority "important" (even the xserver is classified as "optional"). I would continue to not install those listed packages, but I'd make sure that I had libssl0.9.8a installed.

[Knew]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

I already had SSL support. At least in the apps where I used it.

The suspicious thing was that the unwanted packages only snuck into Adept's install list sometimes.

Anyway, the problem has disappeared now. The packages stopped auto-selecting themselves in Adept after the latest Amarok update.
Again, that may just have been a coincidence, but it does seem a tad odd.

Ah, well. Amarok has, IMHO, in some ways taken a nosedive in recent months. I may even end up un-installing it completely.

[Knew]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

Bugger, spoke too soon.
The packages popped up in "Preview Changes" again.

Dang! And I was coming to really like this Kubuntu distro, but this may well be the deal-breaker for me.

Back to Slack, I guess.

[kubicle]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

Definitely odd, especially if this doesn't happen every time with a particular package(s).

You could give synaptic a try as a package manager (haven't had problems with it...though haven't had problems with adept either :P)

[Knew]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

Definitely odd, especially if this doesn't happen every time with a particular package(s).

Very odd, yes.

I always preview the changes before allowing the installation to continue.

I've installed a bunch of packages ranging from things like small DVB-T tools to large, invasive packages like Sun's JDK.
Sometimes these unwanted packages pop up in the list of packages that are about to be installed.
I then quit and restart Adept, re-select the same package I was about to install, and check that the unwanted packages are not listed this time. They never are. They have never appeared twice in a row.

That, the fact that it's always the same packages, and that they have to do with credit card processing, is what has me worried that some other package I've installed from Universe or Multiverse might have contained something malicious.

It's a real shame as Kubuntu was the only KDE-centric distro I could find, that had frequent security updates and that didn't mess up KDE's look and feel completely like, say, Mandriva.

But if I don't feel I can trust the Kubuntu repositories, I may as well install from source, and in that case I'll just continue with Slackware.

You could give synaptic a try as a package manager (haven't had problems with it...though haven't had problems with adept either :P)

Well, Adept wouldn't allow me to click on the OK button on the license agreement when installing Sun's Java. That seriously buggered up my package system.
Luckily, the proper command line to restart the package installation in Konsole was quickly found with Google.

[kubicle]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

I always preview the changes before allowing the installation to continue.

That's a very good policy, since adept won't warn you automatically if it's about to remove something (critical).
(That's one of the reasons why I still use synaptic)

Well, Adept wouldn't allow me to click on the OK button on the license agreement when installing Sun's Java.

Yes, that's annoying too.
(Another reason why I use synaptic )

But if I don't feel I can trust the Kubuntu repositories, I may as well install from source, and in that case I'll just continue with Slackware.

Of course it might not be (and probably isn't) the repositories, but instead something (a bug?) in Adept in the way it handles the data/dependencies.
(If it was a problem with the repositories, I'd assume it would behave like that every time...as opposed to an occasional issue)

Of course it might be good to file a bug report (although it might be a bit hard to reproduce)...anyway, if you haven't decided on switching back to Slack yet, give synaptic a go (it will inform you of the changes it's going to make and can handle license agreements (like in Sun's java). And at least I haven't seen synaptic trying to install something that isn't needed.

[Knew]

Re: Adept wants to install TrustCommerce package

Thanks. I'll give Synaptic a try. Even though it is a GTK program. 

I haven't given up on Kubuntu quite yet.
Apart from this issue, it's been a positive experience all the way.

After ten years of fiddling with Linux, writing scripts and doing the odd kernel hacking, I now want a desktop that "just works".

With Novell turning SuSE's primary focus away from KDE, there's only Kubuntu left, that fits the bill.
All the other KDE friendly distros I tested had some sort of fatal flaw.