Re: how to get debconf or whoever to leave my ntp.conf alone
On Tue, Apr 23, 2002 at 08:17:09PM -0500, Dimitri Maziuk wrote:
> * Colin Watson (cjwatson@debian.org) spake thusly:
> > On Tue, Apr 23, 2002 at 04:41:53PM -0500, Dimitri Maziuk wrote:
> ...
> > > According to dpkg(8) those tools consider "unpacked" (but not
> > > configured) and "half-configured" as "package states". That tells me
> > > that package configuration is, indeed, part of apt/dpkg's domain.
> > > Please tell me if this isn't so, and I'll file a bug against dpkg
> > > manpage.
> >
> > "Configured" means "postinst has been run, libraries have been set up,
> > etc." (see policy for the details). What individual packages choose to
> > do in their postinsts is up to them, and has nothing to do with dpkg and
> > most certainly nothing to do with apt.
>
> *sigh* By apt/dpkg I was referring to "package management system" --
> it's 20 or so keystrokes shorter (yeah, I'm too lazy to even count
> them accurately).
>
> What packages do in their postinst scripts has everything to do with
> package management system, only with the policy/standards, rather than
> purely technical, side of it.
>
> >
> > > > ...It's up to individual packages, not the package management tools.
> > >
> > > I should have said it's a design bug in Debian as a whole,
> >
> > I disagree in the general case, but you probably knew that. I think it
> > is an excellent feature of Debian that software is generally configured
> > correctly for me. When things go wrong, I file bugs.
>
> Lucky you. I get paid for herding swervers; when things go wrong
> I get fired & I don't get to eat.
>
> > > but OK then, have it your way: the bug is between some package
> > > maintainers' chairs and keyboards.
> >
> > Yes. The right thing to do is to file bugs and educate them.
>
> People make misteaks, and not necessarily because they are stupid.
> I can easily imagine a package maintainer at 2am Friday night, after
> a week at the office, whose mailbox is overflowing with "your package
> is the only one that's holding up Woody release!" messages, fscking
> postinst script up no matter how smart and educated he or she is.
>
> OTOH, every package's postinst script could, for example, begin with
> if [ "$1" == "configure" ]; then
> if [ -e /var/lib/dpkg/info/$package.DO_NOT_TOUCH ]; then
> exit 0
> fi
> ...
> which would give the sysadmin an option to turn autoconfiguration
> off on a per-package basis. So that I could touch
> /var/lib/dpkg/info/xserver-xfree86.DO_NOT_TOUCH right after installing
> X and never worry about dexconf fscking it up. All that's needed is to
> have a standard and to enforce it. I don't see any trace of a standard
> like that in my /var/lib/dpkg/info/*.postinst; I call that "a design
> bug in Debian package management system".
When I last upgraded ntp, I was warned that the package was going to
overwrite my ntp.conf. It then cheerfully asked me if I'd like to
see th unified diff of the changes, which I did. Then it asked me
if I wanted to install the new ntp.conf or not. I did.
This isn't just ntp, I always get asked that before my config files
get blown away.
Perhaps you need to install some packages. Maybe debconf or
something. I actually have no idea, but there are many packages
dealing with this sort of thing.
-jwb
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