Update:

The cause of the failed dependencies was not in emacs itself, but in ncurses. The Ubuntu Lucid "stable" distro older than the version required by the package, which caused some strange behavior by dpkg: Apparently emacs-gtk didn't care what version ncurses was, but the rest of the packages did. So it updated gtk but not the rest. Requesting it update the rest of the new emacs would cause everything else to be deleted -- including installed extras such as AuCTeX.

While installing the development version of ncurses (I finally found a repository) corrected this behavior and the latest snapshot is now fully installed (without the removal of installed extras, thank you very much!), this is still interesting behavior. I compiled the first snapshot from src specifically to avoid having to use the development version of ncurses, and prior snapshots updated just fine.

=michael=

On Sat, 2010-06-19 at 19:47 +0000, GNU bug Tracking System wrote:
Your bug report

#6469: 24.0.50; Failed update dependencies Ubuntu Lucid

which was filed against the emacs package, has been closed.

The explanation is attached below, along with your original report.
If you require more details, please reply to 6469@debbugs.gnu.org.

MHTML Document attachment
-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Romain Francoise <romain@orebokech.com>
To: michael Matson <michael@vetl.org>
Cc: 6469-done@debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#6469: 24.0.50; Failed update dependencies Ubuntu Lucid
Date: Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:46:22 +0200

michael Matson <michael@vetl.org> writes:

> The latest repository update from emacs.orebokech.com for Ubuntu
> Lucid Links AMD64 failed to install, citing failed dependencies
> for modules emacs-snapshot, emacs-snapshot-bin-common,
> emacs-snapshot-common, and emacs-snapshot-el.

The packages on http://emacs.orebokech.com/ are only for Debian
stable and testing/unstable. Ubuntu is not supported, the packages
may sometimes work depending on the delta between the two
distributions, but that's outside my control.

Also, please do not use M-x report-emacs-bug for packaging related
issues.

MHTML Document attachment
-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: michael Matson <michael@vetl.org>
To: bug-gnu-emacs@gnu.org
Subject: 24.0.50; Failed update dependencies Ubuntu Lucid
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 19:28:23 -0700

The latest repository update from emacs.orebokech.com for Ubuntu Lucid
Links AMD64 failed to install, citing failed dependencies for modules
emacs-snapshot, emacs-snapshot-bin-common, emacs-snapshot-common, and 
emacs-snapshot-el.

Note that the version that I'm running was originally built from deb
src, but prior repository updates have installed without a problem.


In GNU Emacs 24.0.50.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.20.1)
 of 2010-06-08 on vetl, modified by Debian
 (emacs-snapshot package, version 1:20100608-1)
Windowing system distributor `The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.10706000
configured using `configure  '--build' 'x86_64-linux-gnu' '--host' 'x86_64-linux-gnu' '--prefix=/usr' '--sharedstatedir=/var/lib' '--libexecdir=/usr/lib' '--localstatedir=/var' '--infodir=/usr/share/info' '--mandir=/usr/share/man' '--with-pop=yes' '--enable-locallisppath=/etc/emacs-snapshot:/etc/emacs:/usr/local/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp:/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp:/usr/share/emacs/site-lisp' '--with-x=yes' '--with-x-toolkit=gtk' 'build_alias=x86_64-linux-gnu' 'host_alias=x86_64-linux-gnu' 'CFLAGS=-DDEBIAN -DSITELOAD_PURESIZE_EXTRA=5000 -g -O2' 'LDFLAGS=-g -Wl,--as-needed' 'CPPFLAGS=''

Important settings:
  value of $LC_ALL: nil
  value of $LC_COLLATE: nil
  value of $LC_CTYPE: nil
  value of $LC_MESSAGES: nil
  value of $LC_MONETARY: nil
  value of $LC_NUMERIC: nil
  value of $LC_TIME: nil
  value of $LANG: en_US.utf8
  value of $XMODIFIERS: nil
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix
  default enable-multibyte-characters: t

Major mode: Fundamental

Minor modes in effect:
  tooltip-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  tool-bar-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent input:
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <help-echo> <return> 
M-x <help-echo> <help-echo> <tool-bar> <kill-buffer> 
<help-echo> <tool-bar> <kill-buffer> <help-echo> <help-echo> 
<help-echo> M-x b u g SPC ? C-g M-x r e p o r t SPC 
? e <return>

Recent messages:
Loading /etc/emacs/site-start.d/65bitmap-mule.el (source)...done
Loading /etc/emacs/site-start.d/70x-face-el.el (source)...done
Loading /usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/rudel/rudel-loaddefs.el (source)...done
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
Preparing tutorial ...
Quit
Tutorial position not saved
Making completion list...
Quit
Making completion list...

Load-path shadows:
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/css-mode/css-mode hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/css-mode/css-mode
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/toolbar-x hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/toolbar-x
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-info hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-info
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-jp hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-jp
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/font-latex hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/font-latex
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-fold hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-fold
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/context hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/context
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-bar hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-bar
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-style hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-style
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/texmathp hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/texmathp
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-mik hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-mik
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-buf hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-buf
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/context-en hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/context-en
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-font hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-font
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/bib-cite hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/bib-cite
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/context-nl hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/context-nl
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/latex hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/latex
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/tex-fptex hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/tex-fptex
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/auctex/multi-prompt hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/multi-prompt
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/visual-basic-mode hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/visual-basic-mode
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/hhm-config hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/hhm-config
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/html-helper-mode hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/html-helper-mode
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/tempo hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/tempo
/usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/site-lisp/debian-startup hides /usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/debian-startup
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/html-helper-mode/tempo hides /usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/lisp/tempo
/usr/share/emacs-snapshot/site-lisp/css-mode/css-mode hides /usr/share/emacs/24.0.50/lisp/textmodes/css-mode

Features:
(shadow sort gnus-util mail-extr message sendmail regexp-opt rfc822 mml
mml-sec mm-decode mm-bodies mm-encode mail-parse rfc2231 rfc2047 rfc2045
ietf-drums mm-util mail-prsvr mailabbrev mail-utils gmm-utils mailheader
emacsbug tutorial help-mode easymenu view rudel-loaddefs cl cl-19
rudel-backend warnings eieio byte-opt bytecomp byte-compile bbcode
preview-latex tex-site auto-loads tooltip ediff-hook vc-hooks
lisp-float-type mwheel x-win x-dnd tool-bar dnd fontset image fringe
lisp-mode register page menu-bar rfn-eshadow timer select scroll-bar
mldrag mouse jit-lock font-lock syntax facemenu font-core frame cham
georgian utf-8-lang misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai tai-viet lao
korean japanese hebrew greek romanian slovak czech european ethiopic
indian cyrillic chinese case-table epa-hook jka-cmpr-hook help simple
abbrev loaddefs button minibuffer faces cus-face files text-properties
overlay md5 base64 format env code-pages mule custom widget
hashtable-print-readable backquote make-network-process dbusbind
dynamic-setting font-render-setting gtk x-toolkit x multi-tty emacs)