RFC: future of the smbfs and smbfsx packages

["Eloy A. Paris" <eparis@ven.ra.rockwell.com>]

Hi!

I'd like to have some feedback from my fellow Debian developers:

Facts
-----

1) smbfs userland utilities (smbmount, smbumount) are different in 
2.0.x and 2.2.x kernels.

2) For 2.0.x, must use the smbfs package.

3) For 2.2.x, must use the smbfsx package.

4) Upstream smbfs for 2.0.x no longer maintained.

5) Upstream smbfs for 2.2.x is well maintained and is part of the
Samba package.

6) Syntax of smbmount changed (for worse) in smbfs for 2.2.x kernels.
A wrapper that takes cares of calling smbmount in a uniform way does
exist but hasn't been packaged for Debian yet.

7) This wrapper makes it possible to use the automounter easyly with
2.0.x or 2.2.x kernels.

8) Currently, both smbfs and smbfsx can be installed at the same time.
In smbfs, binaries are called smbmount, smbumount, etc. In smbfsx,
binaries are called smbmount-2.2.x, smbumount-2.2.x. Same thing for
the man pages.

Possible Solutions
------------------

Option 1: Create a new small package called smbfs-common that contains
the wrapper. Then rename the binaries to smbmount-2.0.x and
smbmount-2.2.x and let the wrapper choose which one to call depending
on the kernel version that is running. Use alternatives to handle the
man pages.

Option 2: Put the wrapper script inside package smbfsx (the wrapper
isn't needed for the smbfs package because the wrapper emulates the
good-old syntax of the old smbmount). Then have smbfs conflict with
smbfsx (they can't be installed at the same time).

Other options?

The wrapper must be included because everybody is bitching at the new
syntax of smbmount, and also because they current syntax doesn't work
for the automounter.

Any comments will be appreciated.

Thanks!

peloy.-