Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 00:28:34 +0400 From: Ruslan Ermilov <ru@FreeBSD.org> To: Garance A Drosehn <gad@FreeBSD.org> Cc: Dag-Erling Sm?rgrav <des@des.no>, src-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org, cvs-src@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: "Chatty" config files in /etc Message-ID: <20060830202834.GA11284@rambler-co.ru> In-Reply-To: <p0623091cc11b704fff62@[128.113.24.47]> References: <200608290920.k7T9KmV9067843@repoman.freebsd.org> <86zmdmfoow.fsf@dwp.des.no> <p0623091cc11b704fff62@[128.113.24.47]>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
--ZPt4rx8FFjLCG7dd Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Wed, Aug 30, 2006 at 01:41:51PM -0400, Garance A Drosehn wrote: > [perhaps this should be continued on freebsd-arch?] >=20 I think this is too simple material for freebsd-arch. :-) > At 1:27 PM +0200 8/30/06, Dag-Erling Sm?rgrav wrote: > >> Modified files: > >> etc hosts.allow > >> Log: > > > Comment out lines that use example addresses and example.com > > > names so that local changes can be made more easily (without > > > having to comment these lines, and making the diff more > > > readable). > > > >That reminds me - /etc/hosts is another file that mergemaster often > >trips over. The comments and examples it contains should be moved > >to the appropriate man page(s) if they aren't there already. In > >fact, we should probably remove the file from the tree, and just > >have sysinstall create one at install time. >=20 > I'm sure Ruslan didn't mean to open up this whole can of worms, > but I also find files like /etc/hosts, /etc/hosts.allow, and > /etc/pf.conf to be annoying when it comes to system upgrades. >=20 Well, I'm happy to open it in (what seems to be) the right direction since it also looks very annoying to me. > They're meant to be helpful, but they're so chatty with comments, > and they are files that I *always* have to localize with my own > changes. It is annoying when it seems like one of these files > pop up in mergemaster every single time I upgrade, and it's > almost always due to a change in some line that does not actually > effect anything. I mean, I can understand it's useful to correct > comments in the file, but my already-running system is not going > to run any differently with the correct comment than the incorrect > comment. >=20 > I do think those comments and examples are useful, but it might be > better to move those lines into separate files. We could move them > into man pages, but then they won't be available on systems which > have NO_MAN set. I also think that for these files, there is some > advantage in having the info as plain-text files, and not all > spruced up with nroff commands. I wonder if it would be better to > have the comments and examples as files under /etc/defaults. I > suppose they could also go under /usr/share/examples, but for these > files I think there is some advantage that the comments and examples > be on '/', and not on '/usr'. >=20 > Also, if the comment+example files are under /etc/defaults, then > changes to them *will* come up in mergemaster. It's just that > now they will show up in a file that has no local changes, so > the user can just read the change, instead of having to "merge" > all their local changes with the new official version. >=20 I think they should be moved to /usr/share/examples/etc/ (like make.conf), with files in /etc/ representing good (short) defaults with a minimum of comments and probably references to examples. Like no /etc/hosts.allow file at all: """ A non-existing access control file is treated as if it were an empty file. Thus, access control can be turned off by providing no access control files. """ Cheers, --=20 Ruslan Ermilov ru@FreeBSD.org FreeBSD committer --ZPt4rx8FFjLCG7dd Content-Type: application/pgp-signature Content-Disposition: inline -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.5 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQFE9fTyqRfpzJluFF4RAoXLAJ4t4KCyctYrbCVTfKa8xOBfZB5JtwCfWkMK /osEgefPVtDXHGn10OY/zRc= =M5x5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --ZPt4rx8FFjLCG7dd--
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20060830202834.GA11284>