Bug#232448: debian-policy: Ada Library Information files must be read-only

[Bill Allombert <allomber@math.u-bordeaux.fr>]

On Fri, Feb 13, 2004 at 01:50:02AM +0100, Ludovic Brenta wrote:
> Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org> writes:
> 
> > I don't see that this is a very good reason for an exception to the
> > rules on file permissions.  Why can't gnat be fixed so that it doesn't
> > try to auto-create object files when it shouldn't?
> 
> Because this would break the documented behaviour of GNAT and thus
> make Debian incompatible with other distributions:
> 
> `-a'
>      Consider all files in the make process, even the GNAT internal
>      system files (for example, the predefined Ada library files), as
>      well as any locked files. Locked files are files whose ALI file is
>      write-protected.  By default, `gnatmake' does not check these
>      files, because the assumption is that the GNAT internal files are
>      properly up to date, and also that any write protected ALI files
>      have been properly installed. Note that if there is an
>      installation problem, such that one of these files is not up to
>      date, it will be properly caught by the binder. [...]
> 

There are still some points that are unclear to me:

Why is it not sufficient for the file to be `write-protected' for the
user running gnat instead of all users including root ? Or if it is, why
when running as root cannot it add the compiled files in the same
directory ? If it is not, why not just fix the test ?

Also why can't gnat check if the compiled binary exists instead ?

Cheers,
-- 
Bill. <ballombe@debian.org>

Imagine a large red swirl here.