Re: Conffiles (was: from / to /usr/: a summary)
Enrico Weigelt wrote:
> * Tanguy Ortolo <tanguy+debian@ortolo.eu> schrieb:
> > I think having the default configuration values written in a default
> > configuration file under /usr is better than having them harcoded, since
> > it makes it really easier to determine what these defaults are. But not
> > shipping the user configuration file, I do not know, that seems ugly
> > somehow. At least the possibility to write a configuration file should
> > be documented, ideally with a manpage.
>
> I have a general objection against putting (default) configs
> outside /etc at all. The main problem is, on updates, defaults
> might silently change, without operators used to look at /etc
> and comparing current config with new defaults.
By default, dpkg will silently upgrade unmodified conffiles to the
current version, without prompting the user at all. If you've modified
the conffile, dpkg will prompt you to find out if you want to keep your
modified version, upgrade to the new upstream version, see a diff, or
run a shell; dpkg will default to keeping your modified version.
So, unless you've changed a configuration file, you already won't get a
prompt on configuration upgrades. If the configuration upgrade might
matter to sysadmins, the Debian package should provide an upgrade note
in NEWS.Debian, or upstream should provide a note in NEWS (which I wish
apt-listchanges could show, at least when it follows a standard format).
- Josh Triplett
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