Re: Should packages depend on cron?

[Steve Greenland <stevegr@NeoSoft.COM>]

On Jul 23, Christian Schwarz <schwarz@monet.m.isar.de> wrote:
>  [anacron replace cron?]
> It can't replace cron in general, but I can take over control of the
> /etc/cron.* scripts completely. Just add a "cron" job to run anacron once
> per day.
> 
> Steve, as I see you are the cron maintainer. What about if the "cron"
> package would have "Depends: anacron" and have the default /etc/crontab
> fire up anacron daily, instead of running the /etc/cron.* scripts. I can
> configure anacron to take over these scripts automatically. 
> 
> What do you think?

I'm not wildly in favor of it. Lots of people run machines 24/7/365, and
have no need for anacron, and I hate to make them install it. On the
other, it would be nice if cron and anacron integrated nicely for those
who do need it. (I'm in both camps -- machines at work that run all the
time, home machine get started/stopped.)

I may have missed the reason anacron has to take over the /etc/cron*
scripts -- doesn't it just run stuff that hasn't been run as scheduled?
I guess I need to go read the anacron docs.

SteveG

--
The Mole - I think, therefore I scream 

			"Security is mostly a superstition.  It does not
			 exist in nature... Life is either a daring
			 adventure or nothing."
[Helen Keller]


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