Debian bug report logs - #968
kermit should only ask once about the /etc/skel files

Package: kermit; Reported by: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson); Done: mitchell@mdd.comm.mot.com (Bill Mitchell).

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Date: Tue, 13 Jun 95 18:58 BST
From: iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson)
To: debian-bugs@pixar.com
Subject: Re: Bug#968: kermit should only ask once about the /etc/skel files
In-Reply-To: <9506122138.AA22390@bb29c.mdd.comm.mot.com>
References: <9506122138.AA22390@bb29c.mdd.comm.mot.com>

Bill Mitchell writes:
> Regarding "dpkg --various_options", I think we're on the wrong track if
> we expect Joe C. User (C. for Casual) to deal with this, and do it
> without error.  Joe will use the dselect interface, and that interface
> needs to address a very high percentage of his package administration
> needs.  For packages with nontrivial install-time configuration
> interaction, I think Joe has a legitimate need to be able to do
> a post-install package reconfiguration.

I agree.

> Given that dselect is Joe's package administration interface, I think
> that Joe needs to be able to initiate reconfiguration of an installed
> package via dselect.  This would be a new dselect requirement, I think.
> It'd be nice if dselect could indicate to Joe somehow whether or
> not the package supported post-install reconfiguration (dselect
> would need some help from the package to do this -- some convention
> to be established for package maintainers to indicate that this
> is supported).  For packages supporting post-install reconfiguration,
> dselect might call the postinst with a "--reconfigure" argument,
> or somesuch.

This would be one way of doing it, yes.  (Though `reconfigure' rather
than `configure' would be a better bet - none of the other maintainer
script options start with hyphens.)

Another way (that would make it obvious to dselect/dpkg whether a
package could be reconfigured) would be to use a separate maintainer
script.

Discussion on this topic is welcome, but I can't promise to have time
to join in, so I'd like you all to argue amongst yourselves :-).

> Regarding the postinst being able to DTRT during upgrades while
> minimizing user interaction.  Perhaps the kermit postinst, and
> other postinsts, need to be smarter about this.

Yes, that was what I would be suggesting.

> The ideal situation would be for the postinst to only ask necessary
> questions.  To do that it'd need to know what package version (if any)
> is being replaced, and what vintage (if any) install-time-configurable
> files are installed (the installed files might predate the installed
> package).  I'll think about smartening up the kermit postinst, but
> it occurs to me that this would be easier all around if there was
> a simple (and standard) method for the postinst script to know if
> it was upgrading a package and, if so, what package vintage.  How
> about having dpkg place this info in environment variables before
> invoking postinstall and/or postrm scripts?  INSTALLED_VERSION and
> INSTALLED_REVISION, or somesuch?

This is difficult, because by the time the postinst is running only
one version of the package is installed, and it's not easy to define
what the `old version' of the package (if any) is.

How about `old version = last version for which the postinst script
was *started* (or conffiles update completed), even if it didn't
complete' ?

I could pass the version number as an argument to the postinst script.

> Hopefully, a full system upgrade will only reinstall currently-installed
> packages for which the VERSION and PACKAGE_REVISION fields indicate that
> an upgrade is indicated, not every installed package on the system.

Your hope shall be fulfilled.

Ian.

Acknowledgement sent to iwj10@cus.cam.ac.uk (Ian Jackson):
Extra info received and forwarded. Full text available.