Richard Kaszeta writes ("/usr/local (again)"): ... > Since packages generally don't install anything other than empty dirs > in /usr/local, can't this be handled in a way that makes it easier for > those of us trying to maintain many debian machines?
Section 3.2.9 of the policy manual may be informative. I haven't implemented the required feature for dpkg yet. Ian. 3.2.9 /usr/local - for the use of the system administrator As mandated by the FSSTND no package should place any files in /usr/local, either by putting them in the filesystem archive to be unpacked by dpkg or by manipulating them in their maintainer scripts. Every package that searches a number of directories or files for something (for example, looking for shared libraries in /lib or /usr/lib) should search an appropriate directory in /usr/local too. In order that the system administrator may know where to place additional files a package should create an empty directory in the appropriate place in /usr/local by supplying it in the filesystem archive for unpacking by dpkg. The /usr/local directory itself and all the subdirectories created by the package should have permissions 2775 (group-writeable and set-group-id) and be owned by root.staff. In the future it will be possible to tell dpkg not to unpack files matching certain patterns, so that system administrators who do not wish these directories in /usr/local do not need to have them.