Re: Installing files in /etc
On Fri, 20 Oct 2000, Wesley W. Terpstra wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 20, 2000 at 10:43:28AM -0700, Yves Arrouye wrote:
> > > Timshel Knoll <timshel@debian.org>, wrote:
> > > > Try:
> > > > ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc
> > > >
> > > > and then
> > > >
> > > > $(MAKE) install prefix=`pwd`/debian/tmp/usr sysconfdir=`pwd`/tmp/etc
> > > >
> > > > $(sysconfdir) is auto{conf|make}'s /etc directory.
> > >
> > > The problem with this method is that when a non-debian user
> > > downloads the
> > > source and does ./configure && make install, their config
> > > files end up in
> > > /usr/etc by default which is not where they belong. The
> > > debian directory is
> > > going to be part of the upstream source archive, so I can't
> > > interfer with
> > > normal installation.
> >
> > I just put the debian directory in the ICU upstream sources, and did just
> > that (except that I use DESTDIR, I have no po/ dir). Since the debian
> > packages are built using debian/rules, there is absolutely nothing
> > preventing you to configure with --sysconfdir=/etc in debian/rules. People
> > building outside of Debian will not use debian/rules, so you won't
> > interfere.
>
> But by changing the Makefile.in to use ${sysconfdir} I do indeed interfere.
> This makes the config files install to /usr/etc. Right now the Makefile.in
> explicitly installs to /etc b/c configure has no variable that defaults to
> it.
I say: submit the changes to upstream.
In my opinion, sticking things into /etc without allowing the installer to
easily override is *rude*. Consider the case of a NONroot user
configuring with --prefix=$HOME ... make ... make install
... BOOM. Installer: @#$@#$ package!!
If you change the Makefile.in to use $sysconfdir, then the installer now
has the easy option of either specifying --sysconfdir=/etc, or do nothing
and let it be installed in $prefix/etc.
That's my opinion, and worth what you paid for it,
-Steve
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