Re: [BUG] inconsistency in $localstatedir and $runstatedir

[Alejandro Colomar]

On 7/18/22 11:17, Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>     Oh, there _is_ a bug.  Compare what the documentation says, with a bit
>     of variable expansion that I did to show the bug (between parentheses):
>
>     Documentation says:
>
>        $prefix
>           Should normally be */usr/local*
>
>        $localstatedir
>           Should normally be */usr/local/var*
>           But write it as *$prefix/var* (= /usr/local/var; OK)
>
>        $runstatedir
>           Should normally be */var/run*
>           But write it as *$localstatedir/run* (=  $prefix/var/run)
>                                                (=  /usr/local/var/run)
>                                                (!= /var/run; NOK)
>
>     Do you realize the bug now?
>
> This is intended and not a bug, "should normally" doesn't mean that it
> is, or must be.  *You* are _supposed_ to pass the right thing for your
> system, the defaults are (i.e. localstatedir = runstatedir) is to make

No, the defaults are not localstatedir = runstatedir.
runstatedir is $localstatedir/run, AFAICR.

> it easy for people just doing a "default" install, but if your system
> has someting else, you need to modify it (i,e., the 'should be').

I don't want something else.  I want the defaults.

> So not a bug, but intended behaivour.

Disagree.  I'll quote exact wording of the coding standards:

"$(localstatedir) should normally be /usr/local/var, but write it as 
$(prefix)/var"
"This [$runstatedir] should normally be /var/run, but write it as 
$(localstatedir)/run"

It is saying "/var/run" should be written as $localstatedir/run, but 
that is not possible.  Remember that $localstatedir is /usr/local/var in 
the "default" set of directories.

I know I can set $runstatedir explicitly for my system, but defaults are 
there so that I don't need to do it as long as I want to use the 
defaults.  The thing is the defaults are broken.

Or am I wrong in assuming that the wording "should normally be" means 
that that is the default value for GNU Makefiles?  I don't think so.

Cheers,

Alex

--
Alejandro Colomar
<http://www.alejandro-colomar.es/>

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