Re: FHS - transition

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Manoj Srivastava writes ("Re: FHS - transition"):
> Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes:
> > To my mind, a flag day is a point in time when the entire universe
> > must change simultaneously, or at least across which mechanisms do not
> > interoperate.  I feel that a flag day necessarily occurs at the same
> > time for everyone.
> 
> 	For me, a flag day is when on my machine everything is moved
>  from one director, /usr/doc (on partition /usr) to another,  (on the
>  /usr/share partition, sometimes on onother machine altogether).
> 
> 	Every single package on my machine has some files
>  affected. Heven help me ith there is a bug in the sctipt, or if
>  something happens to the sytem in the middle of this large move

If /usr and /usr/share are on the same filesystem then there is no
copying of files required, just a little tinkering with directories.

If they are not then the sysadmin is probably going to have to make
explicit arrangements anyway, because the sizes of the filesystems
will be all wrong.

> 	Yes, one may argue that the script shall not have bugs, and my
>  response is depending on not having bugs is poor practice.

Not having bugs in one script is quite different from not having bugs
in a dozen browser programs.

> > Can you rephrase your objection ?  Or you could explain what you mean
> > by `flag day' and why you think they (as you define them) are a bad
> > thing, though I think that'll lead to an unhelpful sidetrack.
> 
> 	Did that help?

No, I still don't see why it's a bad thing that any one system should
change all at once.  In fact, I think it's a good thing.

(I think it's a bad thing if all the packages on our FTP site would
have to change at once.)

...
> 	Requiring a script that needs to be run that affects files
>  belonging to every other package on the system, and moves them
>  around, is conceptually a bad solution. 

I disagree; I think it's entirely appropriate in this case.

..
> 	The package is the unit of change, the unit of adminstrative
>  control, for Debian. It is natural for us to make large changes based
>  on changing packages one at a time, and not requirte major flag days
>  when the universe changes. (The Universe, for me, is my machine)

For me, the universe is much more than that.

> > `supposed to be'.  I think that my scheme, which copes better with
> > version skew, is superior in this respect.
> 
> 	In theory, maybe. In practice, I think the evlutionaly schem
>  is certainly no worse that the move everything on a flag day scheme.

Are you denying that there will be browser programs which fail ?

Ian.