Bug#29770: Policy contradicts itself about /etc/aliases
In article <[🔎] Pine.LNX.3.96.981120163026.1492A-100000@cantor.unex.es>, Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es> writes:
> I have discovered a little inconsistency in the policy.
> Section 5.5, "Mail transport agents" says:
> "/etc/aliases is the source file for the system mail aliases
> (e.g., postmaster, usenet, etc.)--it is the one which the sysadmin
> and postinst scripts may edit."
> According to this, a postinst script *may* edit /etc/aliases.
> However, section 4.7, "Configuration files" says:
> "A package may not modify a configuration file of another
> package."
> According to this, editing /etc/aliases is not allowed, since this
> file is a conffile for sendmail, at least, and certainly it is a
> "configuration file" in either case.
> So, which is the truth, may /etc/aliases be edited by a postinst, or
> it may not?
Your underlying assumption is that /etc/aliases is marked as a config
file by the MTA packages. In fact, it is not.
The word 'configuration files', refers to the technical meaning,
'marked as a config file for some package'. (NO PLEASE DON'T DRAG
THIS INTO SEMANTICS!) However, /etc/aliases is not the config file of
any package.
Therefore, it's perfectly fine to mess with it from maintainer
scripts.
> If "do not modify a configuration file of another package" is just a
> general rule, it should be clear how many exceptions to the rule are
> there.
There are no exceptions.
--
.....Adam Di Carlo....adam@onShore.com.....<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>
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