Re: dpkg config files in /etc ?
On Thu, Oct 08, 1998 at 11:48:08AM -0400, Peter S Galbraith wrote:
>
> "Thomas Gebhardt" <gebhardt@HRZ.Uni-Marburg.DE> writes:
>
> > the configuration files of all debian packages are located in /etc.
> > That's really fine.
> >
> > But the package manager stores its configuration (access method,
> > list of selected packages, ...) somewhere in /var/lib/dpkg. Why?
>
> Steve Dunham wrote:
>
> > Configuration goes in /etc, state goes in /var.
>
> But the access method is not a state, it's a configuration.
I would disagree...
In my mind (read; I dn't have a formal definition in front of me)
"State" and "Configuration" have somewhat overlapping definitions.
My general rule of thinking about it is:
state is an opion within the program which can be changed and
should be remembered next time.
esp something which reasonably could change every time the program
is used (it is concievable I have a CD today...in a month I am FTP
upgrading)
this is not something which is meant to be changed "by hand"
besides...
the main rational for /var is to allow other partitions to be mounted
read only...
if this were stored in /etc..../etc would HAVE to be mounted read-write
(though I supose given the nature of deslect you could argue everything
excpet /home and /usr/local should be read-write...)
-Steve
--
/* -- Stephen Carpenter <sjc@delphi.com> --- <sjc@debian.org>------------ */
E-mail "Bumper Stickers":
"A FREE America or a Drug-Free America: You can't have both!"
"honk if you Love Linux"
Reply to: