Bug#578267: Missing option to skip default configuration

[David Kalnischkies <kalnischkies+debian@gmail.com>]

Hi Goswin von Brederlow,

2010/4/18 Goswin von Brederlow <goswin-v-b@web.de>:
> There is also the matter of new options beeing added to apt that
> existing scripts don't know about and therefore won't
> override. Specifically APT::Architectures:: being set in the default
> configuration file causes existing scripts to break.
( i hope the breakage in MultiArch-enabled environment is relatively low)

> And even if the script knows about it the setting can not be overriden.
The config (sub)trees can be removed with the clear command in
a configuration file, so e.g.
#clear APT::Update::Pre-Invoke;
will get right of all specified options in this tree.

> --no-default-config
>       Do not read the default configuration file from /etc/apt/.
( I assume you mean "files" here and therefore not only the "main"
 apt.conf but also all files in apt.conf.d. )
What can be achieved also by setting a config file with APT_CONFIG
environment variable and in that file the paths for the configuration files.

I am tempted to say that this is enough as a script should really have
a good reason to ignore all configuration files as most settings in these
files are from the user itself so he will expect that they have an effect.

The script should better override/disable the options he can't cope with
(but even for this case he should have a strong reason instead of "simply"
 supporting them) explicitly which he can do with -c his own setting file and
#clear what::ever::option;
(and maybe a --clear-option should be added to the command line
to avoid the need of a setting file)

Do you agree?


Best regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

David Kalnischkies