Re: Why is /var/lib/apt/lists not in /var/cache?

[Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca>]

> I would imagine that it's due to the FHS (Filesystem Hierarchy Standard)
> which defines what the various directories on a "typical Linux system" are
> for. "man hier", for example, tells me that:
>
> * /var/cache - Data cached for programs.
>
> * /var/lib - Variable state information for programs.

These leave open the question of what "data cached for the program" mean
and what "Variable state" means.

Another way to look at it is in terms of what it implies.
For me, `/var/lib` data is data that is important to keep, e.g. data you
definitely don't want to delete/lose without a very good reason, whereas
`/var/cache` is data that's handy to have but not indispensable because
we can reconstruct it (or something close enough) from other sources,
which means that it doesn't have to be included in backups and it can
be deleted if it strikes your fancy (typically when you're in urgent need
of a tiny bit more disk space).

> system, so apt's state is more like the state of the repositories.

But both the "files that contain the list of .deb files" and "the .deb
files" are part of the state of the repositories :-)

Or, stated in another way, this way to look at the problem degenerates
into philosophical questions.  So I think the question "does it have
to be included in the backup" is a better guide.


        Stefan