Bug#2409: xbase always asks question about xdm, and conffiles prompt
'Ian Jackson wrote:'
>
>Chris Fearnley writes ("Re: Bug#2409: xbase always asks question about xdm, and conffiles prompt"):
>...
>> Is there a scratch directory where packages can store [...]
>> information [like whether to start xdm]? Something like
>> /etc/configs? I find the clutter in /etc with papersize and so on
>> too complicating. I'd prefer a subdirectory of /etc where this type
>> of info can be stored. Red Hat uses a subdirectory /etc/sysconfig.
>> I much prefer their approach here.
>
>/etc only contains system configuration files already, so making a
>subdirectory of it named `sysconfig' is probably a bad idea :-).
>
>What distinction did you want to make between files or directories
>that ought to be in /etc itself and those you wanted in the
>subdirectory ?
/etc/files-with-little-tinsy-notes-that-are-parsed-by-other-scripts-in-etc.
OK, that's too long. After a few minutes thought, I've convinced
myself that I shouldn't be the one to pick a name :) The files I'm
referring to are things like /etc/papersize, /etc/gpm-mousetype
(doesn't exist yet), /etc/xdm, etc.
For example, Red Hat's /etc/sysconfig/clock has the single line:
CLOCKMODE="GMT"
And in /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit, Red Hat has this code:
echo -n "Setting clock: "
. /etc/sysconfig/clock
if [ ${CLOCKMODE} = "GMT" ]; then
clock -u -s
else
clock -s
It seems a simple and elegant way to store this type of info and keep
/etc/init.d/* files pristine accross upgrades. [Except that they
should test for the existence of /etc/sysconfig/clock, just in case.]
>That will hopefully help tell us what the directory ought to be
>called.
>
>Ian.
>
--
Christopher J. Fearnley | UNIX SIG Leader at PACS
cjf@netaxs.com | (Philadelphia Area Computer Society)
http://www.netaxs.com/~cjf | Design Science Revolutionary
ftp://ftp.netaxs.com/people/cjf | Explorer in Universe
"Dare to be Naive" -- Bucky Fuller | Linux Advocate
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