Re: massfiling

[Fabio Massimo Di Nitto <fabbione@fabbione.net>]

On Sun, 18 Apr 2004, Andreas Barth wrote:

> When do you consider that they do it in a dangerous manner? Is grep
> dangerous? Is echo foo >> dangerous?

Yes. Some of the grep, echo are not done properly and can mangle user
configuration files several times.

> > Two important notes:
> > a) The way in which packages use modules-config/apache-modconf.
> >    Most maintainers used our examples for postinst/prerm.  We have
> >    now fixed some problems in the prerm phase, and therefore suggest that
> >    maintainers should check their scripts against the new examples we provide
> >    in README.modules, which ensures that apache-modconf exists before
> >    attempting to use it.
> >    (http://cvs.raw.no/cgi-bin/viewcvs.cgi/debian-apache/debian/README.modules)
>
> Well, I dislike this way. Reason is that user configuration could be
> lost on remove in this way. (Example: User installs mod foo; foo is
> enabled. Then user decides to disable foo by hand or not. Then user
> removes, but not purges foo; here foo is disabled by script. After
> a new install, the install enables foo again. So, the previous disable
> was lost.

This is not completly true. The enable prompt cannot be hidden by the
maintainer postinst, but only from the user when debconf priority is >
than low.

Also on remove, quite is an option that the maintainer can decide to use
or not.

> So, if you change the script, then it would be good if you could
> seperate interfaces, and provide a "install", "remove" and "purge"
> interface for the maintainer script, that do the appropriate actions,
> and not fiddle with users decisions (except on purge, where everything
> is forgot).

i don't see how this differ from using enable as install, do nothing on
remove and disable on purge.

Fabio

-- 
<user> fajita: step one
<fajita> Whatever the problem, step one is always to look in the error log.
<user> fajita: step two
<fajita> When in danger or in doubt, step two is to scream and shout.