Re: Bug#533287: debian-policy: please clarify 10.7.4
On Wed, Jun 17 2009, Felix Zielcke wrote:
>>There has recently on #debian-devel been a few discussions about wether
>>it was allowed to edit other packages configuration files
>>(not 'conffiles') in maintainer scripts.
>
> For example by me.
> For me it isn't clear.
>
> 10.7.4 says:
> The owning package should also provide a program that the other packages
> may use to modify the configuration file.
Perhaps:
The owning package should also provide a program for the other packages
to use to modify the configuration file.
> The related packages must use the provided program to make any desired
> modifications to the configuration file.
> These 2 sentences together don't make sense for me.
> They should provide a program that other packages -may_ use and then the
> next sentence it's a _must_.
My take on the issues of concern related to this are;
a) This is only for packages that share a configuration file. In other
words, this is not a clause to force every package with a
configuration file to provide a generic means of programmatic
modification of said configuration file. To me this means that it is
accepted by all the relevant parties that t is a _shared_
configuration file -- and I can't just create a package foo that
shares apache2 configuration files, and demand the developer provide
me a means of modifying the file.
b) No third party package maintainer scripts may change a
configuration file of a package they do not share the configuration
file with
c) If there is a shared configuration file, then it is a bug not to
provide a program to manage the configuration file, but it is not an
RC bug.
d) Any non-owner package that wants to change the shared file _must_
use the provided program. Lacking such a program, no modification may
happen -- help fix the bug on the owning package that is not
providing the program.
Incidentally, I do not see kernel-img.conf beig a configuration
file for grub (though it does change the image package installation to
invoke grub, it does not really modify how grub behaves). Grub folk
should think of providing example scripts an end user may install in
/etc/kernel.d/post{inst,rm}, as an alternative.
manoj
--
A continuing flow of paper is sufficient to continue the flow of
paper. Dyer
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/~srivasta/>
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