Bug#292401: kdm_config override /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc which is a conffile

[Josh Metzler <joshdeb@metzlers.org>]

On Wednesday 26 January 2005 05:56 pm, Bill Allombert wrote:
> Package: kdm
> Version: 4:3.3.1-4
> Severity: serious
> Justification: Policy 10.7.3
>
>
> Hello KDE maintainers,
>
> kcontrol overwrite the conffile /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc without
> respecting comment and formating. For example if you start with the
> file provided in the current kdm package, launch kcontrol,
> choose Login manager->Administrator Mode,make a change, cancel it
> and it apply, you get a complelty different file /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc,
> see patch below.
>
> This means dpkg conffiles handling is useless here since you cannot
> merge the changes.
>
> Cheers,
> Bill

While I agree that it is a pain that the kdm kcontrol module reorganizes 
kdmrc and strips all comments, I am fairly certain it is not a policy 
violation.  For it to be a policy violation, the maintainer scripts (i.e. 
the scripts run when the package is installed) would need to do this to it.  
Applications that the user runs can do whatever they want to conffiles 
(otherwise you would need to file serious bugs against all editors, as I 
can mess up kdmrc worse with those than I can with kdm_config).

While the comments are very helpful, the best solution might be to run 
kdm_config on the default kdmrc and save it with no changes.  This way any 
changes made using kdm_config on the local system would fit in with the 
kdmrc shipped with kdm and the diff when upgrading kdm would actually be 
useful.

In the meantime, I have stopped using the kdm kcontrol module to edit kdmrc.

Josh