Arch Linux failing to update man-db
Friday, January 26. 2018
This week seems to be especially hard on my Linuxes. Doing a regular pacman -Syu started spitting crap on me:
error: failed to commit transaction (conflicting files)
man-db: /usr/bin/accessdb exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/apropos exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/catman exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/convert-mans exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/lexgrog exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/man exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/mandb exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/manpath exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/bin/whatis exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/lib/man-db/globbing exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/lib/man-db/libman-2.7.6.1.so exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/lib/man-db/libman.so exists in filesystem
man-db: /usr/lib/man-db/libmandb-2.7.6.1.so exists in filesystem
...
A simple query for what's wrong:
# pacman -Qkk man-db
man-db: 363 total files, 0 altered files
So, nothing wrong with it. It just loves busting my balls! 
Using a bigger hammer:
# pacman -S --force man-db
...
:: Processing package changes...
(1/1) upgrading man-db [######################] 100%
New optional dependencies for man-db
gzip [installed]
:: Running post-transaction hooks...
(1/2) Creating temporary files...
(2/2) Arming ConditionNeedsUpdate...
Now my pacman -Syu works. Weird case, that.
