This occurred while doing today's updates.
ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.10
Package: autoconf-archive (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.0.0-4.6-generic 4.0.7
Uname: Linux 4.0.0-4-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.17.3-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jul 10 07:49:20 2015
DpkgTerminalLog:
Preparing to unpack .../autoconf-archive_20150224-2_all.deb ...
Unpacking autoconf-archive (20150224-2) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/autoconf-archive_20150224-2_all.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite '/usr/share/aclocal/ax_code_coverage.m4', which is also in package gnome-common 3.14.0-1
DuplicateSignature: package:autoconf-archive:(not installed):trying to overwrite '/usr/share/aclocal/ax_code_coverage.m4', which is also in package gnome-common 3.14.0-1
ErrorMessage: trying to overwrite '/usr/share/aclocal/ax_code_coverage.m4', which is also in package gnome-common 3.14.0-1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-03-18 (843 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121017.5)
RelatedPackageVersions:
dpkg 1.17.25ubuntu1
apt 1.0.9.10ubuntu1
SourcePackage: autoconf-archive
Title: package autoconf-archive (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: trying to overwrite '/usr/share/aclocal/ax_code_coverage.m4', which is also in package gnome-common 3.14.0-1
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to wily on 2015-05-12 (58 days ago)
Seems some package wanted to pull this in in today's update. I haven't investigated which package that would be.
After doing the following, it is now installed:
1. apt-get install -f <--- Finishes updating some packages
2. apt-get update
3. apt-get dist-upgrade <---- Fails again
4. apt-get install -f <--- Finally everything is installed and updated correctly.