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Re: liblockfile0 and /var/spool/mail policy compliance



Quoting Fabrizio Polacco (fpolacco@icenet.fi):
> One of the strongest point in using an external library to supply a common
> lock method is that, if you "force" all programs to use the external library,
> then when a new and better "method" appears (for example because of changes 
> in the kernel) you only have to modify the library, and all programs using it
> will use the new method without any danger for discrepancy.

I'm not sure there's justification for requiring a rewrite and continual
maintenance of upstream patches just so debian can use liblockfile. If
the upstream developers have a well-implemented, compatible locking
mechanism, why should a debian maintainer disturb it? If a packaged
mailer isn't compliant it might be worth writing in liblockfile support,
but not if the package works.

I also don't see the locking mechanism changing in the near future
because it is the least common denominator across platforms in a
networked environment. If linux nfs locks were ready for the mainstream
and there were an easy way to select liblockfile's locking strategy, it
might be worth reassessing; until it has definate benefits that cannot
be acheived in any other fashion I think that mandating liblockfile is
premature.

-- 
Michael Stone, Sysadmin, ITRI     PGP: key 1024/76556F95 from mit keyserver,
mstone@itri.loyola.edu            finger, or email with "Subject: get pgp key" 


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