debconf: delaying package configuration, since apt-utils is not installed

apt-utils is not required & this is not a warning (in the sense of an unimportant error), but an information why debconf isn't asking questions to configure all packages upfront at the start of the run, but will ask questions (if any) while the packages are actually installed as needed potentially interrupting the process multiple times waiting for user input who might have decided to take a walk while this lengthy installation process runs to return to a machine having stopped half-way through with a configuration question (not installed) vs. a machine who asked the questions upfront and is now done (installed). The end result doesn't change regardless of apt-utils being installed or not – its just a matter of which way is taken to get there.

(In an ideal world, in reality there are still packages who have to ask questions in the middle of it as those only come up in certain configurations and/or situations and can't be asked upfront).

Thanks David for the explanation.

Would it be possible to silence the message for packages that doesn't need to ask questions?

I suggest printing the message on stdout instead of stderr to emphasize that it is an informal message and not a warning.

The message can not be shown only if the package is going to ask questions as debconf would need to extract the questions beforehand (and find none) for that to work – but it can't do that without apt-utils. :)

Not sure about the stderr vs. stdout, I guess the rational is that its more important than the "normal" output. In any case, this is something you will have to bring up with debconf… reassigning there (and resetting status).