interactive postinst scripts

[Paul Nijjar]

> > I already diverted /usr/sbin/sendmailconfig and 
> > /usr/share/sendmail/update_notices, but the postinst script still
> > wants someone to press a key. The postinst script does something
> > useful, so you cannot simply disable it.
	
	How do you go about disabling the postinst script? I am now
running into a similar problem with wvdial -- the postinst script asks
some questions, and the correct response to skip configuration is 'N'. 
I can safely ignore the postinst script, but I don't know how to go about
doing this. I tried to use mkdivert on the wvdial.postinst script, but it
does not seem to work (which in retrospect should not be surprising). 

	Yes, I did file a bug against the package. But until I get a
response/bugfix I am stuck (or I take out wvdial from our installer). 

	One thing the mail archives suggested was to install the package
manually. In a hook (I have tried instsoft, updatebase, configure and
finish) I try the following code: 
---
$ROOTCMD yes 'n' | apt-get --fix-missing install wvdial
---

but all I get is the message: 

E: Could not open lock file /var/lib/dpkg/lock - open (13 Permission denied)
E: Unable to lock the administration directory (/var/lib/dpkg/), are you root?


	I am indeed root, it seems; at least, that is what whoami reports. 
The /var/lib/dpkg/lock file seems to exist before I execute this code. I
have done the dumb thing and removed the existing lockfile before
executing this line, but that does not help either. 

	Has anybody else run into this?

- Paul