On 10/22/23 23:08, Stefan Monnier wrote:
This is generally true, Greg, and I get that, but every new version,
which should just continue what works, doesn't cuz somebody moved a
config file and last years fix doesn't work this year. And you can't
ask for help when its not working. So YOU have to fix it based of what
YOU know works. Makes one wonder about the motives.
I use host files and I don't have that problem.
Same here: the last time I had problems with `/etc/hosts` files was
back when `/etc/nsswitch.conf` was introduced :-)
That was before I started using Debian.
I can relate to Gene's feelings since there's been indeed some churn
over the years, but `/etc/hosts` seems like an odd example because this
one is among the most stable part of Unix/Linux.
Stefan
The squawk includes /etc/hosts because that method is the root cause of
all the troubles. For a while you could hide what used to be in
/etc/network/interfaces in the last stanza of /etc/dhcpdc(sp?).conf, but
that like /e/n/interfaces was too easy, anybody could do it so that went
away. There it was the last ditch src if a dhcp could not be found.
That actually made sense but wasn't ever published that I know of. The
churn seems more like change just for the hell of it as no real reason
for the changes ever seemed to make it into the docs that get installed
in a bare metal install. Not even a hint in any of the usual suspects
conf files. It was pure serendipity that I found that with a global grep
of the whole /etc tree for any mention of dhcp. That fell out, so I read
it, finding this cute little fill in the blanks thing clear at the
bottom of a 5k file. So I "filled in the blanks" and it worked, For two
major releases. But again that was way too easy so it went away, I guess
in favor of nsswitch. But not one grep able word about it made it into
the bare metal installed docs. And that is where this old (89 now) Iowa
farm kid who tested in the 7th grade at an IQ of 147, blows his cool.
Which unfortunately gets me way more than my std 15 minutes of fame here.
Anyway Stefan, take care and stay well. And unvaxed. A small selenium
and a couple d3's a day is much better insurance.
Cheers, Gene Heskett.
--
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940)
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
- Louis D. Brandeis
