Re: Bug#167422: general: files in /usr/share should be world-readable
Matthew Palmer <mpalmer@debian.org> writes:
> While not being a nethack afficionado, I admin for people who are. Aren't
> bones levels variable, and hence should not be placed in /usr anyway?
> Certainly, I know that bones levels are created on the nethack machine, and
> that machine's /usr is mounted RO.
There is no rule that /usr can always be safely mounted read-only in
FHS or the GNU Coding Standards. If it works for you, great, but by
no means would I advise relying on it.
But I did misremember that "share" is indeed guaranteed to be
read-only, so nethack bones files of course don't belong there.
> Your assertion that "it shouldn't go in /var because it's meant to be
> shared" is bollocks, and I'm pretty sure FHS backs me up. I seem to recall
> some sort of 2x2 matrix that had "variable" and "static" along one axis, and
> "sharable" and "private" along the other.
The original purpose of /var (invented by Ultrix) was specifically to
hold the parts of /usr that were locally modified and should not be
shared, when Ultrix first conceived of a shared /usr.
The GNU Coding Standards followed that practice with a bit more
specification, saying that the "var" directory should have "data files
which the programs modify while they run, and that pertain to one
specific machine". But the GNU Coding Standards have a "com"
directory too, for the sharable items.
The FHS, sadly, decided to bollox these up together, with the result
that the "var" directory contains some things that are appropriately
shared, and some things that must not be.
Thomas
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