Re: Question on the use of "/nonexistent"
On Sun, 2021-12-19 at 12:08 +0100, Marc Haber wrote:
> I don't have anything to add but my support for the way that has been
> unanimously lined out in this discussion. Jason, you have my "go" to do
> those changes, and if it would be my choice it'd be --homeless ;-)
>
> Otoh, --nonexistent-home would be more serious, but there is no much
> different to --home /nonexistent.
Most excellent!
I am happy that everyone else seems to be content with the result of
this discussion. It sounds like we have a plan! :)
There are three improvements to make here:
1. Augment the documentation for "--no-create-home" to clarify intent.
2. Implement the "--homeless" option. (This is tentative!)
3. Add tests for these options!
For #1: This is mainly to help less-experienced Debian admins such as
myself who are only exposed to creating users in the standard way.
For #2: A separate option is nice because it does not rely on a specific
directory value (e.g., "/nonexistent") in a script, which is a detail.
It will need to be mutually exclusive with the "--home" option, and it
will need to imply the passing of "--no-create-home". Don't worry, I
won't try to add something like this without automated tests!
For #3: I am currently trying to get up to speed with how to use
autopkgtest in adduser. I am reluctant to change anything other than
docs until I have a corresponding test for what I want to change. Once
I have a good workflow, I'll come back to this issue and make the
changes.
I suppose I can re-classify this as "minor" and "confirmed" for now. I
would say "wishlist", but the main issue here is clarifying the docs,
and the new option ultimately might not be added.
I am still new to classifying bugs, so feel free to overwrite my changes
if they seem improper! That will help me learn if I get it wrong.
Thanks to Marc and everyone else for clarifying things!
--
Jason Franklin
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