Bug#2700: dpkg overwrites conffile

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>]

Dirk Eddelbuettel writes ("dpkg overwrites conffile"):
> Package: dpkg
> Version: 1.1.5elf
>
> I just used dselect go over my mirror partition to automatically upgrade to
> the newest packages (very nice feature this is!).  When installing
> modules-1.3.69f-1, the file /etc/conf.modules was overwritten (with the usual
> warning that force was employed).
>
> The trouble is that /etc/conf.modules is a conffile for the base package (I
> have 0.93.6-13). I don't think that it is a good idea to use the overwrite
> mechanism (which is indeed very useful for manpages in two packages and the
> like) to blow away conffiles. Now I have to get it back from the backup
> tape....

But /etc/conf.modules isn't listed as a conffile in the modules
package, so dpkg was right just to install it, surely ?

I'm reassigning this bug to the modules package.

While I'm here: please don't CC bug reports anywhere yourself - use
X-Debian-CC.  Just CC causes problems, because if I reply to your bug
report and CC debian-bugs again it will assign it another bug number.

Ian.