Re: IMPORTANT: What can we do about the base package?

[Joey Hess <joey@kite.ml.org>]

I said:
> How about releasing an update of the base package that contains no files,
> but instead runs MAKEDEV to generate the files in /dev? Then after you
> install it, you can unistall it safely, without killing /dev.

Since it's been pointed out that this would remove any special permissions
or ownerships on files in /dev, here's an a woraround:

Make an update of base that contains no files. It has a preinst that
archives /dev in some way [1] (cp -a /dev /dev-dpkg.old, or a tar file in /tmp or 
something). It has a postinst that restores /dev. I believe that this should 
work without trashing /dev or modifying it in any way.

[1] Actually, it would be better to archive only the device files in /dev that 
were in the old base package and will be removed when the old base package gets
upgraded.

-- 
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$_=reverse lc$_;s@"@''@g;y/[]{A-U}<>()a-y1-9,!.?`'/][} #         Joey Hess
{><)(eq)paj6y!fk7wuodbjsfn^mxhl5Eh29L86`i'%,/;s@k@>|@g #  joey@kite.ml.org