Re: Debian testing - release number
On Sun 01 Jul 2018 at 22:44:17 (+1200), Richard Hector wrote:
> On 28/06/18 16:40, David Wright wrote:
> > On Wed 27 Jun 2018 at 19:49:13 (+0200), Martin Krämer wrote:
> >> I am wondering if it is possible to get the debian release number
> >> for debian testing (and maybe sid) from command line?
> >
> > Yes.
> >
> > # cat > /etc/debian_version
> > Write whatever you want here
> > ^D
> >
> > Job done. (That's a control-D.)
> >
> > Whether it's advisable to depend on its being numerical is a different matter.
>
> Wait, what? Are you trying to get it, or set it? Why would you want to
> edit that?
As Brad has already pointed out, "[…] [testing] will get the official
release number 10 when buster becomes the stable branch of Debian."
That's been policy AIUI at least since Debian 1.0 was not released.
Meanwhile this question is asked, answered, and (re)submitted as a bug.
What seems to be lost on people who feel a pressing need for
/etc/debian_version to contain a number to satisfy some script that
they have written (which seems to be the usual reason) is that
/etc/debian_version is a configuration file. Look in the
.deb file and there it is, along with /etc/issue{,.net} which
determine how you are greeted {locally,remotely}. So admins are
free to set them all how they like.
Of course, there's no use then in quoting it in support of bug
reports etc. I don't know of and wouldn't expect the value to be
of any use to the system configuration tools, only to humans.
Cheers,
David.
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