Re: Bug#201023: dosemu: purging doesmu wipes out all user data under /var/lib/dosemu)

[Steve Greenland <steveg@moregruel.net>]

On 14-Jul-03, 16:23 (CDT), Herbert Xu <herbert@gondor.apana.org.au> wrote: 
> dpkg --purge is defined as an operation which removes all traces of a
> package.  When you do that, you are taking the responsibility to ensure
> that you have no files under any directories solely owned by that package
> that you wish to keep.

Sorry, the data under /var/whatever is NOT solely owned by the package.
You might want to check with the mysql and postgres maintainers, as well
as the MTA maintainers, about the proper way to deal with this.

"All traces of the package" is exactly that: the package. Not the data
and other files that the package happened to reference.

> There is a reason why frontend's never select the purge option for you
> automatically.

Yes, it's because leaving the configuration files is usually the safest
thing, not because packages are allowed to delete user data on purge.

Steve

-- 
Steve Greenland
    The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
    system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the
    world.       -- seen on the net