Re: Resolutions to comments on LSB-FHS-TS_SPEC_V1.0

[alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk (Alan Cox)]

> Technical reasons for making the change;
> 
> a.  Compatibility with the majority of existing unix systems.

Incompatibility with the majority of Linux systems. Incompatibility
with the majority of Linux packages. 

> b.  See a.  It can not be stressed enough.  If FHS is ever to get OUT
>     of the Linux camp it's going to have to cause Linux to look more
>     like other unix systems and less like Linux.

Thats an argument for saying "there are these symlinks. We specify no
more". Not for changing

> c.  Removal of the special case for Linux in many public domain/freeware
>     software, though this should already be handled via paths.h if the
>     application is written with portability considerations.

Those applications are already present

> d.  BSD based systems basically made this same change over 15 years
>     ago.  It was no real big deal.  /usr/spool -> /var/spool, then

/var/spool was done by Sun and for very big technical reasons - sharable
/usr


You still don't have a leg to stand on.

---
Now something more productive.

These are the points being recycled

We've proved:

a)	People want to put their mail where they like it.
b)	Where you put mail is application dependant

FHS 2.0 has mandated /var/mail, the entire vendor population regards it
as unacceptable hassle to change, as does the user base in general.

In some environments /var/mail helps compatibility with nonLinux

-----------

I'd like to propose that for now the FHS is changed to read

"The mail spool area location is undefined. It is guaranteed that both
 /var/mail and /var/spool/mail point to this mail spool area if the system
 has a mail spool. The preferred reference name is /var/mail.

 [Rationale: /var/mail is the only name available on some other modern Unix
  platforms. /var/spool/mail is the older Linux tradition and needed for
  compatibility]

 [Rationale2: The physical location of the mail spool is not relevant to
  an application and is administrator policy. It is thus left open.]


Can everyone live with that and bury the thread

Alan