root@Knoppix:/var/cache/apt/archives# dpkg --install --force-all python-dev_2.4.4-6_all.deb
(Reading database ... 110755 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace python-dev 2.4.4-6 (using python-dev_2.4.4-6_all.deb) ...
Unpacking replacement python-dev ...
dpkg: python-dev: dependency problems, but configuring anyway as you request:
 python-dev depends on python (= 2.4.4-6); however:
  Version of python on system is 2.4.4-2.
 python-dev depends on python2.4-dev (>= 2.4.4-4); however:
  Package python2.4-dev is not installed.
Setting up python-dev (2.4.4-6) ...
root@Knoppix:/var/cache/apt/archives# echo $?
0
root@Knoppix:/var/cache/apt/archives# dpkg -l python-dev
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                                Version                             Description
+++-===================================-===================================-======================================================================================
ii  python-dev                          2.4.4-6                             Header files and a static library for Python (default)
root@Knoppix:/var/cache/apt/archives# dpkg -L python-dev
/.
/usr
/usr/bin
/usr/share
/usr/share/doc
/usr/bin/python-config
/usr/share/doc/python-dev