Linux.com: What To Do When apt-get Fails

“When you install an application package in a Debian-based
system, sometimes prerequisite application packages are
unavailable. These missing packages are known as broken
dependencies. Left unresolved, they can cripple your system’s
ability to install new packages. They’re a disaster that isn’t
supposed to happen in Debian, thanks to the Advanced Packaging Tool
(APT) and the scripts contained in Debian packages. That makes
broken dependencies all the more devastating when they happen. Some
users have even been known to reinstall the whole operating system,
despairing of otherwise having a functioning package management
system. However, depending on how the broken dependencies arose,
you have several options to try before you consider
reinstalling.

“Package management in Debian-based distributions centers on
apt-get, a utility with a high-level set of functions for package
management…”

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