Re: Add vendor configuration directory installation

[Bruno Haible]

Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>>    The configure --help output and/or the documentation should state that
>>      - "make install" will install into SYSCONFDIR,
> 
> It should absolutley not state that.  It is on purpose that `make
> install' does not trash sysconfdir

Well, at least 178 packages do install files into sysconfdir.
A search for sysconf_DATA in https://codesearch.debian.net shows you
these packages [4].

> if you install a program you do
> not want your configuration files that you have modified to be
> overwritten.

Yes. And as far as I understand it:
  - 178 packages violate this requirement,
  - [0] is a proposal aimed at fulfilling this requirement.

Probably we also need to distinguish vendor installs (through the
distro's package manager) and from-source installs (./configure &&
make && make install).

> For configuration files that are "global" (which this
> basically is); one should not use /usr/etc (which might not exist, or
> point to /etc).  What should be used is /usr/share/PACKAGE or similar.

But the vendors also want to make /usr "strictly read-only and fully
cryptographically verified" [0]. AFAICS, the discussion here is about
achieving three goals simultaneously:
  - Installing or reinstalling a package should not overwrite the admin's
    configuration files.
  - The admin can create modified configuration files, based on those
    shipped by the vendor.
  - /usr should be read-only, even for the admin.

A couple of things are not clear to me, though: If /usr is read-only, then
  - How does the package manager install updates?
  - How can the admin install packages from-source, with --prefix=/usr?
  - What about /usr/local? Is it read-only as well? Thus the GNU default
    prefix will become dysfunctional not only for the unprivileged user
    but also for the admin user.

Bruno

[0] https://0pointer.net/blog/projects/stateless.html
[4] curl -s https://codesearch.debian.net/results/1d728e07eed9900a/packages.txt