Maybe it's related to the amount of packages scheduled for removal? Some more experiments:
# aptitude purge --schedule-only '~i ~pextra' (works) # aptitude purge --schedule-only '~i ~poptional' [ ERR] Writing extended state information -- GPG Fingerprint: ED31 791B 2C5C 1613 AF38 8B8A D113 FCAC 3C4E 599F »Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a Banana.«
