Configuration-files [Was: Re: XFree 4.0.1]
On Fri, Dec 15, 2000 at 12:34:58PM -0800, Erik Steffl <steffl@bigfoot.com> was heard to say:
>
> I noticed this on some other cases. most of the packages present you
> with a menu, asking if the file should be overwritten and show the
> differences. but e.g. postfix did not bother (even though it did not
> completely changed the config file, talking about /etc/postfic/main.cf)
That's because they're conffiles, which are specially handled by dpkg.
If the package maintainer modifies the conffile, you will be prompted
by dpkg about installing their version or keeping your version.
Conffiles are a subset of "configuration files", which are basically
what you'd expect: files which are used to configure the behavior of the
system. Configuration files have to be handled as follows:
4.7.3 Behavior
Configuration file handling must conform to the following behavior:
* local changes must be preserved during a package upgrade
* configuration files must be preserved when the package is removed, and
only deleted when the package is purged.
This can be done by making it a conffile, but if more complex behavior is
needed, you can write scripts and so on to create the file yourself (if
necessary), update it as needed, and so on. That's what X isn't doing right.
Daniel
--
/----------------- Daniel Burrows <Daniel_Burrows@brown.edu> -----------------\
| "Is it too late to extricate myself |
| from this plot line?" |
| "Yes." -- Fluble |
\----------------- The Turtle Moves! -- http://www.lspace.org ----------------/
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