Re: Bug#2703: apache: wrong location of icons and cgi-bins

["Brian C. White" <bcwhite@verisim.com>]

> > I believe that these should be in /var which is, after all, the
> > variable part of /usr.
> 
> Installation of new cgi-bins is similar to installing new binaries,
> is it not?  Even if /usr is mounted read-only, it will have to change
> when new software is installed.  /var is for stuff that changes during
> normal operation -- installation of new software is not.

Since these cgi-bins are added by a user (even if that user is root)
instead of by the Debian packages system, I wouldn't classify them as the
same and I don't think it should sit directly under /usr.  Maybe /usr/local
or /usr/share, but that's it.  I don't think anything but packages should
add files directly under /usr.

As for changing the read-only to install new software, there are cases
where not even that is possible.  If you've mounted from a CD-Rom, it
simply isn't possible to write to that filesystem.  Period.  If you've
mounted over NFS, the machine that is doing the export can have new
software added, but the downstream machines can't.  And just because the
downstream machines use the same software doesn't mean they want to use
the same set of files for their HTTP daemon.

> Anyway, I don't think a web server should create its own directory
> directly below /var.  Instead, create one below /var/lib.  And, unless
> the files can actually be shared by several packages, the directory
> name should reflect the package name.

I would agree with /var/lib except that I heard previously that /var/lib
was being depreciated.

As for making the directory the same name as the package, I don't make
separate directories for my text files even though I edit some with 'vi'
and the rest with 'emacs'...  It's the purpose that counts, not how it
is achieved.  I thought "/var/web/..." was a great name.  Unfortunately,
if multiple packages want to use the same name, they will have to be very
careful to avoid a conflict.  Maybe /var/web should just be a symbolic
link to /var/apache or something?

                                        Brian
                               ( bcwhite@verisim.com )

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    In theory, theory and practice are the same.  In practice, they're not.