Re: debconf as a registry

[Thomas Goirand <zigo@debian.org>]

On 11/28/2013 09:56 PM, Ian Jackson wrote:
> 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.

I agree with Ian. It is perfectly valid to do a db_unregister in a
postinst, each time the package is installed/upgraded/reconfigured, as
it is also valid to ask the same question to the user each time too.

Thomas