On Tue, Aug 03, 1999 at 02:39:37PM +0200, Santiago Vila wrote: > > While the FHS mandates the mail spool be accessable as /var/mail, it is > > important to retain compatibility with older packages and locally > > compiled programs. Packages using the mail spool should use /var/mail > > and declare dependency on base-files (>= #BASEFILESVER#). > > I second this proposal, but please change the word "dependency" > by "Pre-Dependency" (otherwise I would formally object ;-). > > Rationale: base-files (>=whatever) must be unpacked and *configured* > before *any* package using /var/mail is *unpacked*, because the symlink > /var/mail -> /var/spool/mail will be handled in base-files' postinst. Obviously and I support this addition. > [ Try to think what happens if an important program start to access > /var/mail without /var/mail being there yet ]. > > BTW: The footnote pointed out by Antti-Juhani should be reworded also. > (Yes, this is the footnote saying we should still follow /var/spool/mail > regardless of what FHS says). I oppose the footnote. There is no reason why packages cannot and should not use /var/mail right now (pending postinst of a working base-files that will create it) The argument that some of the dselect methods do not properly handle package ordering is IMO a bad reason not to do something. If anything, they should be fixed. Same goes for dpkg and symlinks. In any event unlike the symlinks issue, there is no harm that is not already clearly documented in using /var/mail. You might have to run a few extra installs or configures but if your dselect method is that broken you're going to have to do that anyway---and already have been doing it anyway. New users will never see these broken things. -- Joseph Carter <knghtbrd@debian.org> Debian GNU/Linux developer GnuPG: 2048g/3F9C2A43 - 20F6 2261 F185 7A3E 79FC 44F9 8FF7 D7A3 DCF9 DAB3 PGP 2.6: 2048R/50BDA0ED - E8 D6 84 81 E3 A8 BB 77 8E E2 29 96 C9 44 5F BE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <Crow_> hmm, is there a --now-dammit option for exim?
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