Re: RPM (Was Re: Deity project schedule problems)
Hi,
>>"Enrique" == Enrique Zanardi <ezanardi@noah.dfis.ull.es> writes:
Enrique> What about configuration at install time? We can mandate that
Enrique> postinst scripts must not be interactive (it has been
Enrique> suggested already), there's no modification to dpkg needed,
Enrique> but do we want that?
Before we can mandate that, we need to have a mechanism in
place for package maintainers to still be able to configure their
packages as the installer desires.
Despite what some people think, interactive maintainer scripts
are not Pure Evil. They perform a useful and needed task: helping the
installer configure the package to local requirements and
inclinations, and to ensure that critical information is imparted to
the installer. You can't junk the scripts unless you provide
alternate methods to perform the same tasks (like a persistent
variables cache, and a messaging system that can be used to bring
things to the installers attention [and potentially log it]).
I can mandate that pigs fly, but unless certain underpinning
are provided (like wings), the mandate is meaningless.
On the other hand, maybe it is time to revive talk about a
configration variable databse/snapshot (the last time this
degenerated into grandiose plans for a be all admintool, which will
take time because of the scope).
manoj
--
By night an atheist half believes a God. -- Edward Young
Manoj Srivastava <url:mailto:srivasta@acm.org>
Mobile, Alabama USA <url:http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>
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