The procps package on GNU/Hurd installs some binaries with a .procps
suffix:
/usr/bin/kill.procps
/usr/bin/ps.procps
/usr/bin/uptime.procps
/usr/bin/vmstat.procps
However, only vmstat gets registered as an alternative:
$ update-alternatives --list ps
/bin/ps-hurd
$ update-alternatives --list uptime
/usr/bin/uptime-hurd
$ update-alternatives --list vmstat
/usr/bin/vmstat-hurd
/usr/bin/vmstat.procps
$ update-alternatives --list kill
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for kill
The missing registration for kill is a problem, since no other version
is provided. The built-in kill in the shell can be used, but if scripts
explicitly use /bin/kill or /usr/bin/kill they fail. This causes FTBFS
for packages that uses /bin/kill in the test scripts, see e.g.
https://buildd.debian.org/status/package.php?p=myproxy
The package above built fine in December (including successful tests on
GNU/Hurd), but failed a binNMU now. So something seems to have happened
since then.
Mattias