Bug#241062: base-config should start xfs before *dm
> Nikita V. Youshchenko wrote:
> > Since debian defaults to use xfs to provide X server with fonts,
> > base-config should start it before starting *dm. Currently it seems
> > not to be started automatically during initial installation.
>
> It's news to me that we use xfs by default; it is not part of
> x-window-system-core, and X includes a built-in font server.
>
> Also, like most other daemons in Debian, xfs is started automatically
> when it is installed.
>
> Could you describe the actual problem you ran into, please?
Well, probably I was wrong with "default" - actually, it is difficult to
say what is "default" in this case.
- XF86Config generated by dexconf does reference local xfs, and includes
more font paths only "if the local font server has problems" (quoted from
comment in generated XF86Config-4)
- xfs is NOT start automatically by it's postinst, because in general case
it is not safe. In particular, restarting xfs on package upgrade while it
is in use by local or remote X server may cause that X server and/or it's
clients to misbehave or crash. Probably xfs postinst may be modified to
start xfs on initial install unconditionally, while not touching a running
daemon on upgrade, but at this moment it is not done. At least, on initial
installation of what is in testing now, xfs is not started automatically.
- if xfs was installed during the initial install process, it will be
started after reboot. So, if it is not started also by base-config, X will
get different configuration before and after reboot. This is bad IMHO.
So it is better for base-config to start xfs if it was installed. At least
it won't do any harm, and will make system more consistent.
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