On Wednesday 15 October 2008, Eduardo M KALINOWSKI wrote: > Denvid Wright escreveu: > > On Tuesday 14 October 2008, Douglas A. Tutty wrote: > >> WARNING: YOU HAVE A LOCKED AND LOADED ASSAULT RIFLE POINTED AT > >> YOUR FEET AND YOUR FINGER IS ON THE TRIGGER. > > > > Interesting analogy, but it doesn't work, for several reasons. > > First, it's quite possible to remove your finger from the trigger, > > or to just say, "I won't pull the trigger and that solves the whole > > problem." Honestly, there's a good chance that's what I did. As > > I've said, this was 2 years ago and I just don't remember it that > > clearly. > > > > If you say I have a gun pointed at my feet and my finger is on the > > trigger, then I can make a choice: Do I pull the trigger or not? > > In this case, without warning, apt or aptitude pulls the trigger, > > WITHOUT WARNING. > > In my view the trigger is pulled when you edit portions of the file > that shouldn't be changed unless special precautions are taken (such > as disabling update-grub). It's true the effect is only seen later, > but the danger lies in editing the automatically changed sections, > not in running update-grub, even if it is that what causes the actual > effects to be seen. > > > That's a critical point: The file was overwritten without my > > knowing or without so much as a warning. The warning in menu.lst > > says: > > > > ## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be > > modified ## by the debian update-grub script except for the default > > options below > > > > Notice it does NOT say when update-grub is run. It does NOT say, > > "apt will overwrite this list when the kernel is upgraded." With > > the warning given, unless someone has a technical understanding of > > apt, they have no reason to anticipate it overwriting menu.lst. > > The warning could be better worded, and a direct warning at the top > of the file such as > # WARNING: Be careful when editing this file. > # Some parts of it can be changed automatically. > # See <manpages and other references> for more details. > > could be added. Going back to the original discussion (I think I'll > regret saying that, but I can't avoid), that would suggest a wishlist > bug. > > More than that, we may be dealing with exaggerated precautions. If > warnings are given, it's the user responsibility to know what he is > doing and what he is changing in the file.
Both of your comments involve disagreements over differences of opinion -- but I can see where you're coming from and I think the point about rewording the warnings in menu.lst would go a long way toward addressing the issue that led me to file the bug report. If filing the bug report had led to that kind of discussion, I would have felt much better about it than I did when I decided to just give up. I can deal with a disagreement. What I found frustrating was that it felt like the focus was only on justifying why the bug was elsewhere and there was no need to pursue it. Hal -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
