[Aptitude-devel] Bug#729095: aptitude: 'Modified configuration file' choices

[Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo]

Control: tags -1 + moreinfo


Hi Jeff,

2013-11-08 23:32 Jeff Harris:
>Package: aptitude
>Version: 0.6.3-3.2+squeeze1
>Severity: normal
>
>In my specific example, I am upgrading PHP.
>
>"
>A new version of configuration file /etc/php5/apache2/php.ini is available, but the version installed
>currently has been locally modified.
>
>What do you want to do about modified configuration file php.ini?
>
>    install the package maintainer's version
>    keep the local version currently installed
>    show the differences between the versions
>    show a side-by-side difference between the versions
>    start a new shell to examine the situation
>"
>
>Here is what I need to do: Save the package maintainer's version as...
> * a file in my $USER directory
> * a patch file in my $USER directory
>
>or, a note that says "the package maintainer's version is saved as ... " so it can be found later.
>
>I don't want to lose my modifications, but I want to know what the package maintainer thinks is
>important enough to be in the new configuration file, and I want to do it on my schedule.

You can review the changes proposed/needed with the options "show
differences" above.  Perhaps the new version of the program to be
installed cannot work well with the local config modifications, or needs
new defaults coming from the maintainer version, so a decision has to be
made at that point, not deferred for later (otherwise, the program might
stop working).

In any case the program that shows this is dpkg, debconf or programs
called by them, not aptitude itself.  So I am afraid that we cannot do
anything about this.


>Also, staring a new shell doesn't work on a remote machine: "No terminal, and no DISPLAY set, can't fork
>shell."

This doesn't come from aptitude either.


Cheers.
-- 
Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo <manuel.montezelo at gmail.com>