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Re: Conffiles and Configuration files (again)



Hi,
>>"Philip" == Philip Hands <phil@hands.com> writes:

Philip> OK, an example where it might make sense to have a
Philip> non-configuration file, listed as a conffile:

Philip> A package includes a script (under /usr/bin say) that is
Philip> commonly customised by the local admin.

	This is very poor programming. There are two ways to handle
 this situation:
  a) modify the script to read a configuration file (in Debian terms,
     conffile) from /etc
  b) (This is stringly deprecated) put the file in /etc, with an
     absolute link in /usr/bin
	
	In either case, the script it self should have comments that
 warn any potetial editors that the correct file to edit is in /etc. 

	I think it is part of a maintainers task to improve packages
 that have such grotesquities, and pass the patches upstream (you
 should see the amount of hacking that was required to make LaTeX2HTML
 conform).

	manoj
 modifying policy to cover bad programming is poor practice in the
 long run
-- 
 The late rebellion in Massachusetts has given more alarm than I think
 it should have done.  Calculate that one rebellion in 13 states in
 the course of 11 years, is but one for each state in a century and a
 half.  No country should be so long without one. Thomas Jefferson in
 letter to James Madison, 20 December 1787
Manoj Srivastava  <srivasta@acm.org> <http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>
Key C7261095 fingerprint = CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05  CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E


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