Proposal: /etc /usr/etc /usr/local/etc

[Vadim Vygonets <vadik@cs.huji.ac.il>]

I can't help noticing that Debian is not too aware about the
differences between / and /usr partitions.  In the ideal, / is local,
and /usr is mounted from a remote machine.  But in Debian, there are
some problems with it.

Let's go examples.  When you install a window manager on a Debian
system, it goes to /usr, but its config files go to / (namely
/etc/X11/*wm/system.*wmrc).  Many Debian packages go to /usr, but keep
their config files in /etc.  Excuse moi, but this is brain-dead.  It
means that if you have a network with one file server, you must
install the program on it, and then walk thru all the workstations and
install a config files there.  Why?

My proposal is: if Debian policy is to install all the config files in
one place, let's make it two places: let's create a directory under
/usr called, say, /usr/etc, and keep there config files of the
packages that belong to /usr and don't have to be re-configured for
every box.

Yes, I know that sometimes it's hard to distinguish between what goes
to /etc and what goes to /usr/etc.  For example, {,x}inetd config
files belong to /etc, although this program is in /usr.  then, it's a
subject for discussion.  But hey, sometimes it's just *WRONG* to put
config files in /etc!  For example, window managers, xdm(? - subject
for discussion?), emacs, other editors, lftp, and many many more.

Dixi.
Vadik.

--
Vadim Vygonets * vadik@cs.huji.ac.il * vadik@debian.org * Unix admin
The fish doesn't think, because the fish knows...  everything.
	-- Arizona Dream


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