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Re: request review of fs2ram debian/control and debian/templates



Philippe Le Brouster wrote:
> Could people on this list review the contents and give any valuable feedbacks
> regarding erros in language usage?

If it trails off half way down, that means I fell asleep.

> Source: fs2ram
> Section: admin
> Priority: optional
> Maintainer: Philippe Le Brouster <plb@nebkha.net>
> Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 7.0.50~)
> Standards-Version: 3.9.1
> DM-Upload-Allowed: yes
> 
> Package: fs2ram
> Architecture: all
> Depends: ${misc:Depends}, ucf
> Description: manage post-mount/pre-unmount scripts for tmpfs across reboot

This is grammatical, but DevRef prefers synopses that fit the template
"$PKGNAME provides a/the/some $SYNOPSIS".  You could fix this by
making it something like:

  Description: tools to preserve tmpfs contents across reboots

(I think it's more important to summarise its purpose, rather than
talking about the scripts used to implement it.)

>  fs2ram manages temporary filesystems across reboots. It is possible to
>  associate a pre-unmount script to a given mountpoint. At each
>  shutdown/reboot, fs2ram executes the pre-unmount script and then unmount
                                                                          ^s
>  the corresponding filesystem. Every pre-unmount script must print a
>  post-mount script on the standard output. The post-mount script is saved
>  and run at boot time after the corresponding filesystem is mounted by 
>  fs2ram.
>  .
>  This package provides two pre-unmount scripts aimed at preserving
>  folder structure and file permissions across reboots; this needed e.g.
                                                             ^is
>  for /var/cache or /var/log.

There are only two outright errors here (marked ^), and it's easy enough
to follow, but here's a rephrased version anyway:

   fs2ram manages temporary file systems across reboots. Each tmpfs
   mountpoint can be associated with a pre-unmount script, which is
   executed by fs2ram at each shutdown/reboot before the file system is
   unounted. The pre-unmount script must print a post-mount script on
   standard output, which is saved and then run at boot time after fs2ram
   mounts the corresponding file system.
   .
   This package provides two pre-unmount scripts designed to preserve
   folder structure and file permissions across reboots; this is needed
   to allow hierarchies such as /var/cache or /var/log to be mounted as
   tmpfs.

(Probably when I look at that in the morning I'll want to get rid of all
the extra relative clauses.)
 
> ----------8<-----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<----------8<---
> #
> # debian/templates
> #
> 
> Template: fs2ram/main_install_type
> Type: select
> __Choices: Empty configuration, Limiting the media wear-out, Privacy
> Default: Limiting the media wear-out
> _Description: fs2ram configuration preset

Oh, now this is more non-native-speakerish.

>  Please select the fs2ram configuration preset that best meets your needs.
>  .
>   Empty configuration:
>    The configuration file will be filled with an empty template. The
>    configuration
>    needs to be done manually.
>   Limiting the media wear-out:

I'm assuming the idea here is that it's a tmpfs setup designed
to minimise writes to SSD media.  I would recommend naming
them in terms of what they do, then using the description to
explain why you'd want it.

>    /var/tmp, /var/log and /var/cache will be available as RAM filesystems.
>    Their contents will be preserved across reboot.

(Why would you want to preserve the contents of /var/tmp? 
I've got tmpreaper installed specifically to *prevent* files
staying in /var/tmp.)

>   Privacy:
>    /var/tmp, /var/log and /var/cache will be available as RAM filesystems.
>    Only their filesystem structures will be preserved across reboot.

Rough first draft:

  Template: fs2ram/main_install_type
  Type: select
  __Choices: Content-preserving, Structure-preserving, Unconfigured
  Default: Content-preserving
  _Description: fs2ram configuration
   Please select the fs2ram configuration that best meets your needs.
   .
    * Content-preserving: /var/tmp, /var/cache, and /var/log will be in
      RAM, reducing writes to the hard drive, and fs2ram will preserve
      the contents of these file systems across reboots.
    * Structure-preserving: /var/tmp, /var/cache, and /var/log will be in
      RAM, but fs2ram will only preserve their directory structures
      across reboots, not their (potentially private) contents.
    * Unconfigured: the fs2ram configuration file will be left empty and
      must be filled in manually.
 
> Template: fs2ram/rcs_enforce_ram_configuration
> Type: boolean
> Default: true
> _Description: Make /tmp and /var/lock available as ram filesystems?
>  Please choose if you want to mount ram filesystems on top of /tmp and
>  /var/lock.

A ram filesystem is one of the prerequisites for installing Debian on
a dead badger - s/ram/RAM/ (but also use the name "tmpfs").

Don't choose whether you want it, choose whether it will happen.

>  .
>  If you don't now what it means, you can safely do this (this is now
>  the default behavior for a fresh install of Debian since Wheezy).

If I do [k]now what it means, is it still safe?

"Since Wheezy" technically hasn't happened yet.

  Template: fs2ram/rcs_enforce_ram_configuration
  Type: boolean
  Default: true
  _Description: Make /tmp and /var/lock into RAM file systems?
   Please choose whether /tmp and /var/lock should be converted into
   tmpfs mountpoints. This is the default for fresh installs of Debian.

-- 
JBR	with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
	sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package


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