Date: Sat, 08 Jun 1996 15:01:12 -0700 From: "Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com" <michaelv@HeadCandy.com> To: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> Cc: "Schwenk, Peter" <pschwenk@wcupa.edu>, "freebsd-stable@freebsd.org" <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Installing FreeBSD-stable Message-ID: <199606082201.PAA19969@MindBender.HeadCandy.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of Fri, 07 Jun 96 16:30:02 -0700. <17017.834190202@time.cdrom.com>
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>> It means if you have changes in your /etc directory from the
>> distribution (you have to have *some* changes), that you need to
>> carefully merge them with updated /usr/src/etc/ files by hand. It's
>> not a process that can be automated.
>Though I've always felt that the files which were supposed to be
>non-mutable files (like /etc/netstart) should probably get installed
>by a make world. It would help narrow the number of custom files
>which need to be revisited each time.
> Jordan
Yes, but who's to decide what is non-mutable. What if I decided to
remove that one and install my own super-netstart script, and a
heavily modified rc? I believe everything in /etc is fair game.
I think it needs to remain a hands-on task. I mean, I've been running
NetBSD-current for more than a couple years, and I've customized my
/etc/ some over that time in incompatible ways. Yet, in spite of the
fact that I don't pull in the current src/etc changes very often (if
at all) my system continues to run.
My point being: if you fail to merge in the latest etc stuff on your
own system, very often it will make little-to-no difference. And, if
there's been something important changed, I would expect big red
(well, white and dark purple in my emacs anyway ;-) letters all around
it, and in the README saying to not forget it.
And, this doesn't even touch /dev/ changes. I think I've only had to
*change* one device the entire time I've been running current (when
Charles changed the lms base minor number from 1 to 0). There have
been devices added I've occasionally had to make new device entries
for, but only that one device ever changed, that I can remember.
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Michael L. VanLoon michaelv@HeadCandy.com
--< Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x >--
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Sun4/4c/4m, DEC MIPS, DEC Alpha, PC532, VAX, MVME68k, arm32...
NetBSD ports in progress: PICA, others...
Roll your own Internet access -- Seattle People's Internet cooperative.
If you're in the Seattle area, ask me how.
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