We have done /usr/doc before (was: debhelper: /usr/doc problems again)
Ulf Jaenicke-Roessler <ujr@physik.phy.tu-dresden.de> wrote:
> I'd like to mention some general problems with packages migrating
> from /usr/doc to /usr/share/doc. Some of these problems exist,
> although they are very hard to explain and/or to reproduce.
>
> For example, I found that libpanel-applet0 leaves a single file
> in its old doc directory (currently unexplainable and unreproducable
> by the maintainer) preventing the compatibility link to be created.
> Another example is the latest 'time' package, which doesn't delete
> the old doc directory on upgrade because of a .dhelp file, resulting
> in no compatibility link too.
Well the solution in both of these cases is to file a bug. Download the source
file, modify it so that it works, removing .dhelp files, and moving all files
to the /usr/share/doc/<package> directory. Then produce a patch from your
modified version, include it as a patch in the bug report. Offer to do a NMU
if the maintainer is not avaliable.
> Some packages (bibtool, cpio, rxvt or even perl-5.005-*) on at least
> two of the machines I maintain, had links to /usr/share/doc/package
> (from /usr/doc/package), i.e. not to ../share/doc/package (absolute
> instead of relative).
Download the source, fix the problem, file a patch as a bug report.
> The question is, should the migration, for packages which want to
> do it at all, be enforced? I.e., should the old doc directory be
> deleted (rm -rf) before dh_installdocs tries to create the link?
No, there is no reason to do this. If the package is written properly it is
unneeded.
> 'ln -snf' (no dereference) might help for wrong links.
Why make wrong links? Surely if the package is correct there is no need for
this.
> Currently, dh_installdocs does nothing with the link, if a file,
> directory or another (even wrong) link exists. Do we "support"
> user changes to directories in /usr/doc? If not, it should be safe
> to delete old directories in preinst or so.
If a system adminitrator has put a file in the /usr/doc/<package> do we have
any right to remove it? I do not think we do. When you start including rm -rf
commands in package postinst that run as root, then you are just asking for
trouble.
--
I consume, therefore I am
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