Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.5.6.1
Severity: normal
Tags: patch
I am not able to coherently interpret the following text:
Any configuration files created or used by your package must
reside in /etc. If there are several you should consider creating
a subdirectory of /etc named after your package.
If your package creates or uses configuration files outside of
/etc, and it is not feasible to modify the package to use the
/etc, you should still put the files in /etc and create symbolic
links to those files from the location that the package requires.
So if a package maintainer fails to create symbolic links from
/usr/lib to /etc, is it a "should" or a "must" violation? Anyway, what
are the criteria for conforming to "should consider"?
Here is a trivial patch which changes the wording so that it is
internally consistent. I am not sure if this is a happy solution,
since it is quite possible that package maintainers have decided to
interpret the text as a mere recommendation, in which case they would
now suddenly find themselves in violation of policy although they may
have tried hard not to violate it.
/* era */
See #170018 for a fresh example.
*** debian-policy-3.5.6.1.orig/policy.sgml Thu Mar 14 20:17:48 2002
--- debian-policy-3.5.6.1/policy.sgml Thu Nov 21 10:18:50 2002
***************
*** 5823,5835 ****
<p>
Any configuration files created or used by your package
must reside in <tt>/etc</tt>. If there are several you
! should consider creating a subdirectory of <tt>/etc</tt>
named after your package.</p>
<p>
If your package creates or uses configuration files
outside of <tt>/etc</tt>, and it is not feasible to modify
! the package to use the <tt>/etc</tt>, you should still put
the files in <tt>/etc</tt> and create symbolic links to
those files from the location that the package
requires.</p>
--- 5823,5835 ----
<p>
Any configuration files created or used by your package
must reside in <tt>/etc</tt>. If there are several you
! should create a subdirectory of <tt>/etc</tt>
named after your package.</p>
<p>
If your package creates or uses configuration files
outside of <tt>/etc</tt>, and it is not feasible to modify
! the package to use the <tt>/etc</tt>, you must still put
the files in <tt>/etc</tt> and create symbolic links to
those files from the location that the package
requires.</p>
-- System Information
Debian Release: 3.0
Kernel Version: Linux there.afraid.org 2.2.20 #1 SMP Thu Nov 7 16:15:53 EET
2002 i586 unknown
Versions of the packages debian-policy depends on:
ii fileutils 4.1-10 GNU file management utilities
