Bug#595652: db packages failing to install...

[Bill Allombert <Bill.Allombert@math.u-bordeaux1.fr>]

On Sun, Sep 05, 2010 at 06:58:34PM -0700, Russ Allbery wrote:
> Holger Levsen <holger@layer-acht.org> writes:
> 
> > please clarify what the right behaviour should be and how failing to
> > install without a local db should be treated. Thanks.
> 
> I agree with jcristau; I think it's reasonable to have database servers be
> in Recommends, to have postinst prompt for what database to use, and if
> one choses a remote database that doesn't exist or if one has no database
> to choose, to have the package configuration fail.

My experience is that a package failing to configure let the system in a state
that is ill-suited for fixing the issue that caused the package to fail to
configure. In particular, apt will not function correctly. So this should be
avoided.

It has never been required for packages to fail to configure when the user
misconfigured them, and it has always been allowed to reconfigure a package 
in a completly different way after being installed.

So I argue that the package must not fail to configure but require the user
to fix the configuration and perform an extra step to reconfigure the package.

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

Imagine a large red swirl here.