What it says on the tin: tried to apt-get install ack, got this error.
ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: ack (not installed)
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-22.35-generic 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-22-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
Date: Thu Apr 19 17:46:19 2012
DpkgTerminalLog:
Unpacking ack (from .../archives/ack_1.39-12_amd64.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/ack_1.39-12_amd64.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite `/usr/bin/ack', which is the diverted version of `/usr/bin/ack-grep'
DuplicateSignature:
Unpacking ack (from .../archives/ack_1.39-12_amd64.deb) ...
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/ack_1.39-12_amd64.deb (--unpack):
trying to overwrite `/usr/bin/ack', which is the diverted version of `/usr/bin/ack-grep'
ErrorMessage: trying to overwrite `/usr/bin/ack', which is the diverted version of `/usr/bin/ack-grep'
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
SourcePackage: ack
Title: package ack (not installed) failed to install/upgrade: trying to overwrite `/usr/bin/ack', which is the diverted version of `/usr/bin/ack-grep'
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-01-12 (98 days ago)
This is not a bug in the ack package nor in Ubuntu in general. Neither the ack-grep package in Ubuntu nor in Debian divert /usr/bin/ack-grep to /usr/bin/ack (otherwise that immense renaming patch contained in the source package would be useless).
So the mentioned diversion must be a local diversion made by the administrator of that installation.