On Feb 5, 2004, at 8:13 am, Drake Wyrm wrote:
The Installation documentation could be changed to say "copy & edit your fstab like so: cp /etc/fstab.example /etc/fstab && nano -w /etc/fstab`" and users would have the benefit of a back-up of the original should they ever b0rk theirs up.
I have to disagree completely. This is exactly why we use CONFIG_PROTECT
and etc-update. Packages *should* install a default, but it shouldn't
be called <config-file>.example. Documentation, such as a config file
example, belongs in /usr/share/doc/<package>.
Hmmmn... I guess this is a matter of personal taste. I find a .example file right next to the one I'm editing SO useful.
When you re-emerge something, it should try to install everything it needs. If the destination file is in a CONFIG_PROTECT directory, Portage does exactly what you described (with a .cfg-XXXXX- prefix rather than an .example suffix).
As a rule, I agree with you. I haven't yet <touches wood> b0rked up an etc-update myself, and I feel it's rather a case of user ignorance & carelessness when it does happen. But as Paul says, /etc/fstab can make your system unbootable, and so I feel that it's the exception that proves the rule.
When updates to /etc/fstabare required, I feel there's a good case for "yelling at the user" using ewarn.
Stroller.
PS: Incidentally, I believe that Grub has a simple text-file editor, so it should be possible to edit /etc/fstab using this. I found it too obscure & confusing when I tried this, and ended up booting from CD, but has anyone else tried this..? In the past I've installed Gentoo on a Sony Vaio C1 which won't boot from CD, so a HOWTO for this would be great.
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