Re: It's Huntin' Season
>>"Rob" == Rob Browning <rlb@defaultvalue.org> writes:
Rob> Here's my current take. I have wondered for a little while
Rob> whether or not having /etc/* be the only place that packages can
Rob> put code that runs at startup is sufficient. For packages that
Rob> want to make sure certain things happen no matter what, things
Rob> that shouldn't be considered user-configurable, /etc is arguably
Rob> not the right place.
I would object to any package considering things that are not
user configurable. That view is short sighted, and does disservice to
users. The package maintainer may not have an understanding of the
circumstance the package is used in, and locking users in is not
generally a good idea. (Hint: My wife and I share the same server,
our needs are wildly different -- and start-up files have different
behaviour for us)
I could have many users on a machine, with differing
needs. If the package changes emacs behaviour, then invocation of
that behaviour change _must_ be configurable by the end user.
Already the current mechanism permits the bulk of the files to
be kept in normal emacs space, and the invocation be in /etc. This
does not require a change in current policy.
I would also state that though in some cases it is suitable to
move the bulk of the start up file into /usr/share. if the file
happens to be like a number of startup files where default are set
for variables, or a number of independent and unrelated changes are
made to upstream program behaviour, then it is a disservice to users
not to offer them an opportunity to conveniently view these changes,
and on an individual basis modify them.
I would also like to state that start files are used as a
convenient vehicle to add site wide configuration to emacs packages,
and this is a feature that I would strongly oppose being taken away
from the end user.
manoj
--
Chinese saying: "He who speak with forked tongue, not need
chopsticks."
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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