Re: Bug#273093: Unpredictable behavior when two packages want to divert the same file

[Frank Kuester <frank@kuesterei.ch>]

Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> writes:

> Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> To be clear, which of the following is this report proposing?
>
>>  * Packages should not divert a file unless that file is "divertable".
>>    To make a file divertable, the maintainer of the package shipping
>>    it adds a comment to debian/control mentioning the filename and
>>    which packages are allowed to divert it.
>
> I don't think the bug report was asking for more formality around the
> coordination with the package maintainer part.

I remember having opened the bug report, but not what was the real
problem I had come across, nor my opinions on a solution.  

I don't think today that policy should require such a formalism.
However, it is good practice to consult the maintainer of the "diverted"
package. Therefore, in particular in team-maintained packages, I do
think that a list "I expect this and that file to be diverted, please
ask before doing anything else" somewhere in the debian directory might
be a good idea.

Regards, Frank