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Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 05:57:38 -0600 (MDT)
From: Alan Lundin <aflundi@lundin.abq.nm.us>
Message-Id: <199710081157.FAA01179@lundin.abq.nm.us.>
In-Reply-To: asami@cs.berkeley.edu (Satoshi Asami)
       "Re: group assignments from make world." (Oct  7, 11:21pm)
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To: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: group assignments from make world.
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On Oct 7, 11:21pm, Satoshi Asami wrote:
> Subject: Re: group assignments from make world.
> 
>  * Any suggestions?  Do people really want to see a "general information
> 
> Well, for things as simple as this, maybe we can add a default
> "pre-world" target or something that tests /etc against possible
> outdated-ness.

I agree with Satoshi, except that it could, of
course, be extended beyond the bonds of /etc
(/usr/include, for instance, or "what /usr/sbin/config").

If the first thing that "make world" does is run a
(or a series of) pre-world test script(s), then
people will know right away if it'll bomb for
the things that can be tested for.  Perhaps the
script even could put out a message to shame people
into reading the appropriate doc (saving Jordan
from preforming the evil deed).  For example:

  # make world
  [ blah blah ]
  Error: "make installworld" cannot succeed.
         The group "network" is not in /etc/group
	 Read FAQ x.y and RELEASE.TXT for details.
  #

Admittedly, automatically fixing brokenness
is hard and potentially dangerous, but just checking
for necessary pre-conditions ought to be fairly
easy (most of the time anyway).

--alan