Re: Bug#995569: debhelper: act on service files placed in usr/lib/systemd/system
Control: blocked -1 by 994388
(@Tech-ctte in BCC: Consider this email as an FYI that this bug is
waiting for your resolution of #994388. I do not expect follow up from
you in any official capacity, but I would strongly appreciate if you
would explicitly clarify how this request will fit into your advice for
the transition plan once you have that.)
Ferenc Wágner:
> Package: debhelper
> Version: 13.5.2
> Severity: normal
>
> Dear Maintainer,
>
> If some upstream install procedure places service files under
> /usr/lib/systemd/system, dh_installsystemd won't notice those in
> debian/tmp during package build, thus such units won't be enabled and
> started on the installation of the resulting package.
>
> I think this could (and should) be done irrespective of the usrmerge
> transition and whether maintainer-provided unit files are installed into
> /usr/lib or /lib, because this has little chance to change anything
> automatically (unless some packages have been shipping unit files under
> /usr/lib with the very purpose of not activating and starting them).
>
Hi Ferenc,
Thanks for your bug report and I appreciate why you want this feature.
Unfortunately, I have no intention of acting on this request until the
tech-ctte has resolved their advice on how they want the /usr-merge
transition to be resolved (per #995569).
Some might argue that this request is independent of the /usr-merge
transition. However, adding support for this feature will enable
maintainers to move files from / to /usr much easier than previously and
a key point here is whether that would be seen as supporting/enabling
maintainers in going against the (likely) advice of the tech-ctte to not
do "per package/path" transitions.
Obviously, a maintainer *can* do this manually without debhelper - but
they would do so at their own peril. Whereas if I add this support
someone will definitely leverage that feature to move from / to /usr
even if that would contradict the recommendation from the tech-ctte.
Sadly, it does leave you hanging if you have an upstream package that
uses /usr/lib where you would manually have to move that to /lib or not
use debhelper at all. And if you move it to /lib, you would eventually
have to "undo" that at a later stage.
I wish I could provide you with something better, but I am personally
not ready to invest in implementing this feature while there is a
considerably risk that I would need to revert it again or it would be
interpreted as "promoting dissent" against the upcoming /usr-merge
transition[1].
~Niels
PS: The tech-ctte have not officially clarified their resolution on the
/usr-merged migration, but so far I have yet to see a draft / suggestion
that include "migrate paths manually in packages before $FLAG_DAY" as a
proposed solution. Instead the drafts point to quite the opposite.
[1] I have raised objections in public about some of the /usr-merge
transition plans. I feel this is not an entirely theoretical concern
that other project members would see it as a statement from me if I was
to implement this feature without the explicit approval of the tech-ctte
at this point in time.
Reply to: