Bug#225465: debian-policy: packages must give choice to not start at boot, via debconf

[Will Lowe <harpo@thebackrow.net>]

> Each package that puts a file in /etc/init.d must in its debconf area,
> call [a new debconf element[?]] that will ask the user's wishes as to if
> this package is to be started at boot or not.

This needs to be a question with a priority of "low".  It's insane to
ask a user who isn't anal retentive a question for every package that
installs a daemon -- the less questions we have to ask for most users,
the better.

> to not start them at boot, stern warnings should be placed not to
> chose to not start... note in every case we still force the maintainer

I think this will result in lots of stern warnings, which will result
in either terrified users or users who simply ignore all stern
warnings.

I have a suggested addition to your change:

* debian/$package.config should use the answer to the debconf question
to decide whether or not to add startup links via update-rc.d in
postinst. -- NOT to fuddle with /etc/default.  I abhor init scripts
that do something like:

#!/bin/sh
. /etc/default/$package # this contains "RUN_AT_BOOT=YES"
test "$RUN_AT_BOOT" -eq "YES" || exit 0

... scripts that do this are useless in the case where the user
doesn't want the daemon running by default but wants to start it on
demand vi "/etc/init.d/$package start".

And this keeps /etc/rc?.d as the authoritative source for whether
something should be started at boot, so that tools such as rcconf
still work.

-- 
					thanks,
		
					Will