Re: debconf as a registry

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Jakub Wilk writes ("Re: debconf as a registry"):
> I suggest the following test instead:
> 
> 1) DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install $package
> 2) rm -rf /var/cache/debconf
> 3) DEBIAN_PRIORITY=low apt-get install --reinstall $package
> 
> If any questions are asked in point 3, the package uses debconf as registry.
> 
> Funnily enough, debconf itself fails this test.

I don't think this is right.  Questions might be asked to know not
what to write into some config file, but to determine directly whether
the maintainer script should take some action right now (eg,
restarting a daemon or not).  I think it is OK for the answers to such
questions to be recorded solely in the debconf database.

Thanks,
Ian.