Bug#42052: PROPOSAL] /var/mail and /var/spool/mail

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

On Tue, 17 Aug 1999, Ian Jackson wrote:

> On Tue, 27 Jul 1999, Joseph Carter wrote:
> > To do this I suggest we ammend policy first by replacing all existing
> > instances of /var/spool/mail with /var/mail and then changing the second
> > paragraph of section 5.6 which currently reads
> 
> I object to this proposed change on the following grounds:
> 
> There are no reasons for us to change.  The FHS made a gratuitous
> change in this area.  If someone wants to install software that really
> does require /var/mail to exist they can make the symlink themselves.
> 
> There are reasons for us not to change: it is hard to do right, as the
> discussion has shown, and if we get it wrong we risk making people's
> mail systems fall over or even losing mail.

IMHO, the discussion has not shown it is hard to do it right.

The proposal is to use /var/mail for *new* systems (those installed
from base2_2.tgz) and keep /var/spool/mail for old systems.

There will be no automatic "mv".

[ Note that I'm not particularly disappointed that someone objects this
proposal, I think we could well wait for FHS 2.1 to be official before
going any further ].

Thanks.

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