Garrett D'Amore wrote: > Bruce Rothermal wrote: > > This package is needed for a $Supported code project we are working on > > in HPC. Since we are already porting this for our project we are > > directed to make the package available to all and also so it is > > available via the IPS package server on opensolaris.org. > > Does this mean that we should be scrutinizing this project much more > closely? If the project is being put into use as a building block by > our own developers, then it is no longer a "familiarity" project, and > probably deserves much closer consideration for architectural > correctness and completeness.
Some related questions: 1. Is there _any_ of the major Linux distributions which ships this software ? I couldn't find it in SuSE and RedHat 2. Is it possible that this software is completely outdated, e.g. it seems this stuff completely predates the "invention" of machine-global config files like /etc/ksh.kshrc, /etc/bash.bashrc etc. which are available on Linux since many many years ? 3. What happens if /etc/ksh.kshrc, /etc/bash.bashrc etc. are being used by a shell - does the "modules" stuff just try to override such things (e.g. clear all variables and shell settings and then start to define it's own settings) or can it be modified to just pass-through such "machine-global" settings ? 4. The "modules" stuff touches files of the user which are usually _private_ - did anyone look at this issue from the _legal_ side ? It's Ok if the user manually invokes the "modules" command but you'll be walking in _very_ thin ice if some kind of automated script touches such files without permission of the user. AFAIK Sun's lawyers need to check at least the EU privacy laws and regulations in such a case. 5. IMO the shipping of per-user ~/.profile and ~/.bashrc+~/.kshrc should be _discontinued_ in the future because updating them is impossible in an usefull way and the legal troubles (see [4]) may make this even impossible. That's why SuSE for example no longer installs such per-user files (beyond empty "dummies") and has switched to machine-wide files (e.g. /etc/profile, /etc/ksh.kshrc, /etc/bash.bashrc etc.) to define their "vendor defaults" (and IMO Solaris should do the same). ---- Bye, Roland -- __ . . __ (o.\ \/ /.o) roland.mainz at nrubsig.org \__\/\/__/ MPEG specialist, C&&JAVA&&Sun&&Unix programmer /O /==\ O\ TEL +49 641 3992797 (;O/ \/ \O;)
