How to resolve package conflict with apt-get

Question

I have some package conflict that prevents me from installing other required software: I want to install tftp but get the following:

ron@jpax-build07:~/tmp$ sudo apt install tftp
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
You might want to run 'apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 kde-telepathy-minimal : Depends: kde-config-telepathy-accounts (>= 15.04.0) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
ron@jpax-build07:~/tmp$

Okay, so I tried:

ron@jpax-build07:~/tmp$ sudo apt -f install
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
Correcting dependencies... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  libpthread-stubs0-dev:i386 libx11-dev:i386 libxau-dev:i386 libxcb1-dev:i386
  libxdmcp-dev:i386 libxext-dev:i386 libxfixes-dev:i386 libxtst6:i386
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
The following additional packages will be installed:
  kde-config-telepathy-accounts
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  kde-config-telepathy-accounts
0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
444 not fully installed or removed.
Need to get 0 B/137 kB of archives.
After this operation, 825 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]
(Reading database ... 303598 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../kde-config-telepathy-accounts_4%3a15.12.3-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking kde-config-telepathy-accounts (4:15.12.3-0ubuntu1) ...
dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/kde-config-telepathy-accounts_4%3a15.12.3-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 trying to overwrite '/usr/share/accounts/services/google-im.service', which is also in package account-plugin-google 0.12+16.04.20160126-0ubuntu1
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.23-0ubuntu9) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
 /var/cache/apt/archives/kde-config-telepathy-accounts_4%3a15.12.3-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
ron@jpax-build07:~/tmp$

How do I get myself out of this mess?

UPDATE1

When I do $ sudo apt remove kde-config-telepathy-accounts, I get Package 'kde-config-telepathy-accounts' is not installed, so not removed where $ sudo apt remove account-plugin-google gives me unmet dependencies of kde-telepathy-minimal which depends on kde-config-telepathy-accounts - this does not make sense!

Answer 1

Read the error message carefully, looking for the actual dpkg error.

Here's yours, which is likely to be different from most others that find this thread.

dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/kde-config-telepathy-accounts_4%3a15.12.3-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb (--unpack): trying to overwrite '/usr/share/accounts/services/google-im.service', which is also in package account-plugin-google 0.12+16.04.20160126-0ubuntu1

Let's take that apart and restate it a bit more clearly:

dpkg: error processing PACKAGE_A (--unpack): trying to overwrite FILE_NAME, which is also in PACKAGE_B

Now can you see what the error message is trying to say?

Most files on your system can be provided by only one package at a time. When two packages try to provide the same file, they conflict. You cannot have both installed at the same time.

You fix the problem by deciding which package you want to keep, and uninstalling the other.