Re: Package-created usernames

[Ian Jackson <ian@davenant.greenend.org.uk>]

Bdale Garbee writes ("Re: Package-created usernames"):
> The second is whether it's acceptable for a Debian package to
> *require* a specific username.  There seems to be at least an
> implication that if the namespace clash potential is eliminated or
> significantly reduced, that this would remove the need for
> supporting configurability of the username used by a package or set
> of packages.  I'm very concerned about this, since I believe that no
> matter how well we solve the namespace potential collision problem,
> there will always be users of our packages in large installation
> environments who have already made decisions about their username
> namespace that they want Debian systems to be able to "fit in to"
> without requiring rework or recompilation of packages.

I can see your point but I think it is in general impractical to
require programs not to have compiled-in usernames.  A great many of
our standard daemons work that way.

If we choose a `sufficiently good' naming scheme then I think problems
are very unlikely.

Ian.