Hi,
>>"Ian" == Ian Jackson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Ian> I thought that was what this thread was about. Clearly I wasn't
Ian> sufficiently explicit. Well, then:
Ian> Firstly, does anyone disagree with my description of the way
Ian> things are or should be ?
Before I answer that, I have a question of my own. The whole
purpose of a conffile seems to be to allow a system adminstrator to
make changes. In some ways it implies that the system does not have
full control of this file, and is predicated on the fact that local
changes should not be lost.
The rationale for putting all the configuration files in /etc
was partly to allow one to see all local changes made to the system,
and to allow one to back up all the local changes merely by backing
up /etc (You yourself say this in the recent message to this list,
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, O Lord of the way and
the light in the darkness ;-)
I also think that the distinction between "file needed for
the purposes of configuration" and a user modifiable file read by the
program that affects the working or the output fo the program is
rather thin in some cases (indeed, I failed trying to apply the
criterion similar to that used for for pornography: I know it when I
see it).
I move that any changes made by the local adminstrator should
fall under the purvue of this: and any local changes made should be
saved by backing /etc; /var/lib/; /home; and /usr/local. I do not
care whether the changes ade are classified as changes for
configuration versus changes in conffiles (which, pardon me, does
seem a wee bit bureaucratic to me).
If indeed this is deemed correct, then conffiles should be
restricted to one of these areas (I would prefer /etc, but I
am not adamant about it). If we do choose to restrict conffiles to
/etc, they could become a strict subset of configuration files ;-)
I am not happy about /var/lib vs /var/state; the latter should
contain all the state information one may need to reconstrct the
system; but /var/lib is not so clearly defined. But that is another
story.
Umm, I think I do not disagree entirely, I think that the
rules for conffiles have to be spelled out in detail for us mere
mortals.
manoj
--
"He's not dumb; he knows what he's doing. He's done that for years
... he's learned that if the dream's big enough, the facts don't
count." Billy Florence, on the value of dreambuilding
Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>
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