Bug#311188: debian-edu-config release critical bug
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Steffen Joeris wrote:
> Hi
>
>
> I know that this is an old and long discussed bug, but please allow me to
> raise the discussion again right now as I think that the issue is not
> completely clear.
>
> First of all the bug is called: "debian-edu-config: Messes "programmatically"
> with conffiles of other packages"
>
> The word programmatically also appears in the etch rc policy under point 3
> (Configuration files), however I have to ask, because there is one exception.
> It is allowed, if a user explecitely runs an editor.
> Well if someone installs the debian-edu-config package on plain debian,
> *nothing* will happen at all, except that the cfengine scripts are installed,
> but cfengine is not started by the maintainer scripts.
> Therefore the user has to explicetely run the cfengine command to activate the
> scripts and therefore configure the system, which I would call "running an
> editor scpifically" .
> Of course debian-edu works out of the box and this command is started by the
> debian-edu-install-udeb package (by its finish-install.d part in particular).
> This IMHO means that there is no RC bug in debian-edu-config about messing up
> with other packages conffiles.
>
> What do you think?
What happens is then a chain reaciton leading to an editor _implicitly_
messing with the cinfiguration files. This is not what policy permits,
and I find it sane for policy to not allow this.
Please try take a look at this from a non-"we want everything automated"
standpoint, and see if you don't agree with me: The issue here is
avoiding surprises for the local admin. It would be a surprise to me if
a core functionality of the Debian packaging system broke due to
enabling CFengine using purely Debian CFengine scripts.
I believe this bug should be left open until all configuration that
Debian-EDU wants different than the default is changeable in a way
supported by the packages themselves, rather than from Debian-EDU
overriding.
Until then, I believe it best for Debian-EDU to either instruct the
local admin to explicitly do the changes necessary but not allowed by
Debian policy, or to distribute Debian-EDU as a minor fork of Debian
with the policy-breaking behaviour enabled.
Regards,
- Jonas
- --
* Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
* Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
- Enden er nær: http://www.shibumi.org/eoti.htm
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