Shawn Walker wrote:
> 2008/5/16 Darren Kenny <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>
>> In the Debian world there is something called debconf to provide a simple UI
>> (text, curses, GNOME, KDE, etc). to the user. Each dpkg can use this to
>> define
>> various configuration options, and this then allows that user to be presented
>> with a UI that meets their needs (depending on debconf's own configuration).
>>
>> I think that something like this would be useful for us to have, and while I
>> think it's not IPS that does the configuration, it would need to be able to
>> trigger it in the right circumstances.
>>
>
> There are a few issues I have with having a configuration system
> built-in like Debian does:
> * Abuse (configuration of the package that actually alters parts of
> the delivered bits, like removing files, etc.)
>
Surely, in Debian postinstall script can remove some files on
filesystem. But I'm not aware of ANY package doing this and I suspect it
would be policy violation.
> * Land of a thousand dialogs (I *hate* installing software on a Debian
> system, don't ask me questions, just use good defaults and install!)
>
There are at least two ways of solving your hate:
1) use appropriate high questions level (-phigh or even -pcritical)
2) use non-interactive frontend (no questions at all, but no guarantee
everything will work without configuration)
And see later about default answers.
> * Lower package quality (why make good decisions about the packaging
> when you can off-load the responsibility on the admin?)
>
Not true. Packaging decisions has nothing in common with configuration.
Packaging decisions are "which options should be enabled during
configure" or "how should I split huge packages into parts".
Configuration options are "which database host, username and password
should this installation of nagios use" and "which interfaces this
daemon should listen on".
> If we are really going down the route of having some sort of
> configuration subsystem, let's ensure that:
> * Packages cannot depend on it (meaning they *must* pre-define
> defaults for all options)
>
>
Still there are questions with no possible defaults. Default password
for LDAP administrator? No way.
> * The configuration is somehow limited such that it cannot arbitrarily
> add and remove files to the system (at least unaudited)
>
Sure.
> * That administrators have some easy way to record that configuration
> so that when re-deploying to other systems they don't have to go
> through the same process.
>
man dpkg-reconfigure, man debconf-get-selections.
> There's a host of other concerns as well, but I know that many others
> here are likely more familiar with the pitfalls and advantages thanks
> to SVR4's "interactive" mode
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