Re: Bug#14264: cron doesn't put /usr/local/bin in PATH

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Steve Greenland <stevegr@NeoSoft.COM> writes:
> Lars Wirzenius wrote that cron no longer included /usr/local/bin in
> the default path for user crontabs, and wanted to know what the hell
> I'd done, and why. ;-).
> 
...
> Among other things, I wrote:
> > > [PATH comes from paths.h, which in `stable' includes /usr/local/bin]
> 
> and Herbert Xu replied:
> > This is no longer the case with libc6.
> 
> and sure enough, he's correct. So now I have question I'd like to have
> some input on:
> 
> I can:
> 
> 1. Modify the cron source to add /usr/local/bin back to the path for
> user crontabs. The advantage is that nobodies crontabs break, but
> we'll be inconsistent with other (non-Debian) crons (I assume that
> Vixie Cron is the defacto standard).
> 
> or
> 
> 2. Let the path drop back to /usr/bin:/bin, and probably break a bunch
> of crontabs. It's easy for a user to fix by adding a PATH= statement
> to their crontab, but there will be LOTS of complaints, you betcha.

You can also

3. Get the libc fixed so that paths.h _PATH_DEFPATH includes
/usr/local/bin.  This is the correct solution as it fixes the problem
everywhere.

I think you should do this.

Darren writes:
> Personally, I'd prefer to be closer to de facto standards and be a
> little more secure.  /bin and /usr/bin are generally secure but on
> some systems, /usr/local/bin is opened up to some users.  If someone
> used to other systems comes to Debian, they could be surprised.  I
> actually set the PATH in all but two of my crontabs and those are now
> fixed...

I disagree.  On Debian systems /usr/local is writeable by group staff,
which is empty by default.  If the system administrator changes this
that is up to them.

Being incompatible with the rest of Debian (and previous Debian
installations) is worse than being incompatible with the upstream
version of a package.

Ian.


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