Re: PROPOSAL: Extrafiles (was Re: Conffiles...)

[Philip Hands <phil@hands.com>]

> Hi,
> >>"Philip" == Philip Hands <phil@hands.com> writes:
> 
> Philip> For example, suppose we decided to move `organisation' to be
> Philip> under /usr/share at some point in the future.  I can see how
> Philip> we would arrange this with one package owning the file, but if
> Philip> all the packages ``own'' it, moving it becomes very painful.
> 
> 	Umm, you may just move the file there easily, but that would
>  break most packages, until one went in and changed the
>  location the programs look in as well.
> 
> 	In eihter case, a sumbolic link in the old location would
>  serve quite well, until the packages were updated. (all programs
>  would then look in new location, look in old locatio and offer to
>  move; or ask the user and create in new location if nothing is in
>  either place).

In one case (the feeble package approach) the packages that used the file 
could simply do a versions based dependency on a version of the package with 
the file in the new location, and only one package would need to know how to
safely move the file (the `organisation' package).  Also, once the dependent
packages all had new versions, the `organisation' package could drop the
symbolic link, and have conflicts with the old versions of the other packages.

In the other case, every package in the group would have to be able to safely 
change the location, and all the packages would have to conflict against 
old versions of all the others before you could get rid of the symbolic link, 
and all their postinst's would probably be clogged up with this duplicated
code for all future time.

BTW What's the reason not to use the feeble package approach ?

> 	I think this needs more investigation; how many cases are we
>  talking about here?

Does it matter ?  I cannot see any reason to allow this sort of shared 
ownership of files, it will only cause grief later IMHO.

Cheers, Phil.



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