Re: [desktop] Improving "user-friendly" in some console applications

[Steve Greenland <steveg@moregruel.net>]

On 19-Mar-03, 14:40 (CST), Faheem Mitha <faheem@email.unc.edu> wrote: 
> I can't see any reason not to make this a configurable option (via
> debconf) with the default set to no and with medium priority perhaps,
> making sure it can be switched on and off using

Because you're not suppossed to do *any* interaction during the install
unless you can't select a reasonable default.

> That is what debconf is for, after all (or so I understand). 

Repeat after me: debconf is NOT a general purpose configuration tool.
It's simply a way to standardize interactions when there is no way to
provide a useful default during the installation.

> some technical reason (policy or whatever) why this is not possible or
> desirable?

Policy 11.7.3: If you can provide a reasonable default, then the
configuration file should be conffile, and you can't modify conffiles
from maintainer scripts, which means you shouldn't be using debconf for
them.

Converting a configuration file from being a conffile is a *huge* loss
in longterm managability, because it makes it a lot harder to detect and
merge changes in upstream configuration.

Steve


-- 
Steve Greenland
    The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
    system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the
    world.       -- seen on the net