>>"Joey" == Joey Hess <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Joey> If you have some specific complaints with debconf's design, please post Joey> them, but I'm rather confused about what you're talking about right now, Joey> especially since your whole message was very non-specfic and I often Joey> couldn't tell if you were talking about whatever Goswin was talking about, Joey> or about debconf.
I do apologize. I was not talkgin about debconf, since I am not very knowledgeable about it (I have not been keeping up with it, unfortunately). I do intend a flag day soon to convert all my packages over. Given my ignorance of things debconf, could you please elucidate a few points? >> How about this scenario: Package A needs to run a program from >> Package B, and let the user choose between alternatives in order to >> configure package A to be in a working state. Unfortunately, the >> alternatives are not known before the program is run. Package A is a >> daemon process, so we stop the daemon before unpacking, and we start >> it after configuring. We pre-depend on package B, so that our program >> is available to us. Joey> Yes, debconf can handle this, with no behavior changes *at all* Joey> from how it would have traditionally been done. This is interesting. Since we do not know what the options are, or even whether to ask the question, before unpacking, how do you handle this? Let me try a concrete example; the kernel image postinst, and see how far we get. These are the questions the kernel image postinstall asks, and I have tried to figure out if the question can be pre asked. ====================================================================== ------------- Question depends on test on fie system / ------------ Question important (IMHO) |/ ----------- Depends on previous answer ||/ ---------- Needs run time test |||/ __ can be pre asked |||| / |||| | |||| | X...........Y 1) Ask to remove /System.map files .X Y 2) ask to prepare a boot floppy XXX.........Y 3) ask which floppy drive to use .XX.........? 4) do I need to format the floppy? .XXX........N 5) Insert floppy, hit return .XXX........N 6) failure, retry? .XXX........N 7) failure, you have formatted floppy? .XXX........N 8) you have floppy, hit return when ready .XXX........N 9) Failure writing floppy, retry? .XXX........N 10) failure, hit return when youhave new floppy XX..........Y 11) if conf exists ask if we should run $loader with old config XXX.........Y 12) Or else ask if a new $loader config .XX.........Y 13) Or else ask if loader needed at all .XX.........N 14) Install boot vlock on partition detected at runtime XXXX........N 15) Install mbr root disk .XXX........N 16) Failure writing mbr, do this manually, hit return .XX.........N 17) make that partition active? ====================================================================== Being told that this should not be done during installation of the kernel-image is not what I consider useful; installing kernel images (yes, multiple images, in succession), and having a sane and bootable system with the just installed image bootable is a good thing (people who do not like this behaviour can already turn this off). manoj -- You will gain money by a speculation or lottery. Manoj Srivastava <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/> 1024R/C7261095 print CB D9 F4 12 68 07 E4 05 CC 2D 27 12 1D F5 E8 6E 1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B 924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C