If one does:
dpkg -l '*telnet*' Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold | Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed |/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad) ||/ Name Version Description +++-=======================-=======================-============================================================== ii libnet-telnet-perl 3.01-2 Script telnetable connections pn ssltelnet <none> (no description available) ii telnet 0.16-4 The telnet client. pn telnet-ssl <none> (no description available) un telnet98 <none> (no description available) pn telnetd <none> (no description available) pn telnetd-ssl <none> (no description available) now this is fairly clear, ii presumably means install, installed whereas un means uninstalled? and pn means it is purged not installed? does pn mean it was installed previously and then removed. how are these short cryptic status indications related to the stuff: Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold | Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed |/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad) ||/ Name Version Description Is this documented in detail, i.e. dpkg have a detailed description of its output formats? -walter
