Please, read carefully before marking this as duplicate, I've spent a lot of time looking for a solution to this problem, here and googling, also on XUbuntu irc channel, but I can't find a fix jet.
I'm on XUbuntu 13.10 64bits (now upgraded to 14.04), here's my /etc/apt/sources.list (sources.list.d is empty):
## See sources.list(5) for more information, especialy
# Remember that you can only use http, ftp or file URIs
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu saucy universe main restricted multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ saucy partner
# deb-src http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ saucy partner
# CDROMs are managed through the apt-cdrom tool.
Of course I did this:
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt-get update
After sudo apt-get update I ran sudo apt-get install skype I got this:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
skype : Depends: skype-bin
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
Then sudo apt-get install skype-bin:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
skype-bin:i386 : Depends: libqt4-dbus:i386 (>= 4:4.5.3) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqt4-network:i386 (>= 4:4.8.0) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqt4-xml:i386 (>= 4:4.5.3) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqtcore4:i386 (>= 4:4.7.0~beta1) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqtgui4:i386 (>= 4:4.8.0) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqtwebkit4:i386 (>= 2.2~2011week36) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libssl1.0.0:i386 but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libgl1-mesa-glx:i386 but it is not going to be installed
Recommends: sni-qt:i386 but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
I not only want to install skype but as I've faced the same issue with other programs such as teamviewer I would like to know exactly what is happening and how to fix it.
EDIT: I found the Debug parameter of apt-get, I hope this will bring some light to the problem
sudo apt-get -o Debug::pkgProblemResolver=yes install skype-bin
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Starting pkgProblemResolver with broken count: 18
Starting 2 pkgProblemResolver with broken count: 18
Investigating (0) libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 [ amd64 ] < 2.30.7-0ubuntu1 > ( libs )
Broken libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:amd64 Depends on libtiff5 [ amd64 ] < 4.0.3-8 > ( libs ) (>= 4.0.3)
Considering libtiff5:amd64 0 as a solution to libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:amd64 133
Added libtiff5:amd64 to the remove list
Fixing libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:amd64 via keep of libtiff5:amd64
Investigating (0) libtiff5 [ amd64 ] < 4.0.3-8 > ( libs )
Broken libtiff5:amd64 Breaks on libtiff5 [ i386 ] < none -> 4.0.3-7ubuntu0.1 > ( libs ) (!= 4.0.3-8)
Considering libtiff5:i386 -1 as a solution to libtiff5:amd64 0
Added libtiff5:i386 to the remove list
Conflicts//Breaks against version 4.0.3-7 for libtiff5 but that is not InstVer, ignoring
Fixing libtiff5:amd64 via keep of libtiff5:i386
Investigating (0) libqtwebkit4 [ i386 ] < none -> 2.3.2-0ubuntu7 > ( libs )
Broken libqtwebkit4:i386 Depends on libfontconfig1 [ i386 ] < none -> 2.11.0-0ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 2.9.0)
Considering libfontconfig1:i386 0 as a solution to libqtwebkit4:i386 -1
Holding Back libqtwebkit4:i386 rather than change libfontconfig1:i386
Investigating (0) libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs )
Broken libqtgui4:i386 Depends on libfontconfig1 [ i386 ] < none -> 2.11.0-0ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 2.9.0)
Considering libfontconfig1:i386 0 as a solution to libqtgui4:i386 -1
Holding Back libqtgui4:i386 rather than change libfontconfig1:i386
Investigating (0) libqt4-declarative [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs )
Broken libqt4-declarative:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (= 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to libqt4-declarative:i386 -1
Holding Back libqt4-declarative:i386 rather than change libqtgui4:i386
Investigating (1) skype-bin [ i386 ] < none -> 4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 > ( net )
Broken skype-bin:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 4:4.8.0)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Reinst Failed early because of fontconfig-config:i386
Reinst Failed because of libfontconfig1:i386
Broken skype-bin:i386 Depends on libqtwebkit4 [ i386 ] < none -> 2.3.2-0ubuntu7 > ( libs ) (>= 2.2~2011week36)
Considering libqtwebkit4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Reinst Failed because of libfontconfig1:i386
Considering libqtwebkit4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Investigating (1) sni-qt [ i386 ] < none -> 0.2.6-0ubuntu1 > ( x11 )
Broken sni-qt:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 4:4.7.3)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to sni-qt:i386 0
Holding Back sni-qt:i386 rather than change libqtgui4:i386
Investigating (1) libqt4-opengl [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs )
Broken libqt4-opengl:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (= 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to libqt4-opengl:i386 -1
Holding Back libqt4-opengl:i386 rather than change libqtgui4:i386
Investigating (1) libdbusmenu-qt2 [ i386 ] < none -> 0.9.3+14.04.20140314-0ubuntu1 > ( libs )
Broken libdbusmenu-qt2:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 4:4.7.0~beta2)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to libdbusmenu-qt2:i386 -1
Holding Back libdbusmenu-qt2:i386 rather than change libqtgui4:i386
Investigating (2) skype-bin [ i386 ] < none -> 4.2.0.11-0ubuntu0.12.04.2 > ( net )
Broken skype-bin:i386 Depends on libqtgui4 [ i386 ] < none -> 4:4.8.5+git192-g085f851+dfsg-2ubuntu4 > ( libs ) (>= 4:4.8.0)
Considering libqtgui4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Broken skype-bin:i386 Depends on libqtwebkit4 [ i386 ] < none -> 2.3.2-0ubuntu7 > ( libs ) (>= 2.2~2011week36)
Considering libqtwebkit4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Considering libqtwebkit4:i386 -1 as a solution to skype-bin:i386 9998
Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
skype-bin:i386 : Depends: libqtgui4:i386 (>= 4:4.8.0) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqtwebkit4:i386 (>= 2.2~2011week36) but it is not going to be installed
Recommends: sni-qt:i386 but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
