Re: /etc/mailname
>>"Matthew" == Matthew Palmer <mjp16@ieee.uow.edu.au> writes:
Matthew> OK, let's forget dpkg -S. I'll go another tack.
Matthew> I decide to package something which has a totally different
Matthew> use for a file not otherwise owned by a package, but which
Matthew> is on the system and used by a bunch of packages
Matthew> (/etc/passwd, /etc/mailname et al are not good examples,
Matthew> because they are specified by policy). But anyway, I have
Matthew> this hypothetical file which I want to use and which nobody
Matthew> else has a claim to already.
Matthew> My program uses this file in a completely different way to
Matthew> whatever else might already be out there. However, since
Matthew> nobody else owned it (and, presumably, I decided to take it
Matthew> under my package's wing - or even if I didn't) there is no
Matthew> other package which can say "you're using it wrong".
Fortunately, most debian developers are grownup, and we tend
to try to cooperate. Thus, before you appropriate a file not
mentioned in policy, or known to exist, you try and ensure that name
space clashes would be minimized (generally by making the file name
related to your package name). (/etc/emacs21/site-startd.d/blah are
examples). If a clash does occur, one tries to resolve it amicably.
This is not a serious problem, and we already have over 9000
packages. Kinda takes the wind out of the sails of the conflicts
argument.
manoj
--
Have the courage to live. Anyone can die. -- Robert Cody
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
1024R/C7261095 print CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05 CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E
1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B 924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C
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