Re: What do I use to reconfigure the network /after/ initial install on Etch?

[Celejar <celejar@gmail.com>]

On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 20:50:41 +0100
Joe Hart <j.hart@orange.nl> wrote:

[snip]

> You want vi? change /etc/prefereces/editor to symlink vi and then visudo

'/etc/alternatives'

> will run vi.
> 
> I suppose one should use update-preferences to do that, but that's one

'update-alternatives'

> of the "tools" that hide how things really work.  Just like editing the
> /etc/network/interfaces compared to running a tool to edit it for you.
> 
> Again, one of the reasons I switched to Debian is so I didn't have all
> these fancy little tools.  Everything is stored in text files that can
> be edited with one's favorite editor.  That's the way it is, and that's
> the way it should stay.

I disagree with you about using update-alternatives. That is the
'official' way of manipulating the alt. system. The README in /etc/alt.
sends you to the update-alt manpage, and update-alt does more than just
manipulating that one symlink. For example (from the manpage):

>  It  is often useful for a number of alternatives to be synchronised, so
>        that they are changed as a group; for example, when several versions of
>        the   vi(1)   editor   are   installed,  the  man  page  referenced  by
>        /usr/share/man/man1/vi.1 should correspond to the executable referenced
>        by  /usr/bin/vi.   update-alternatives  handles this by means of master
>        and slave links; when the master is changed, any associated slaves  are
>        changed  too.   A  master link and its associated slaves make up a link
>        group.
> 
>        Each link group is, at any given time, in one of two  modes:  automatic
>        or  manual.  When a group is in automatic mode, the alternatives system
>        will automatically decide,  as  packages  are  installed  and  removed,
>        whether  and how to update the links.  In manual mode, the alternatives
>        system will not change the links; it will leave all  the  decisions  to
>        the system administrator.
> 
>        Link groups are in automatic mode when they are first introduced to the
>        system.  If the system administrator  makes  changes  to  the  system’s
>        automatic  settings, this will be noticed the next time update-alterna‐
>        tives is run on the changed link’s group, and the group will  automati‐
>        cally be switched to manual mode.

Also:

>  Since the activities of update-alternatives are  quite  involved,  some
>        specific terms will help to explain its operation.

Celejar