[Debian-med-packaging] Bug#707639: Bug#707639: gnuhealth: System user for the server

[Emilien Klein]

The GNU Health package runs its own dedicated Tryton server, under
that gnuhealth user, unoconv would thus run under the same user as the
Tryton server.

The rationale for using a separate user is explained at length at [0],
short version is that I believe a Debian package should (as much as
possible) be usable directly after installation, without forcing the
user to edit a config file (etc/trytond.conf in this case) to make the
package run. Of course, if the user has specific needs, editing the
config file is always possible, but in the state I consider the Tryton
package to be in a "broken/unusable" state right after installation.
Only advanced/expert users know they need to go and read the content
of the /usr/share/doc/tryton-server/README.Debian.gz (which they first
need to uncompress to access). This is not the way to make FLOSS
software reacheable to everyday-people.

As suggested in [0], I would encourage the creation of a service-less
tryton-server package providing the source code for the server
functionality (on which GNU Health would depend), and out-of-the-box
working package tryton-server-postgres and tryton-server-sqlite
packages that would come with ready-to-use databases and provide a
startup service.

That way GNU Health can be run using it's own user (best to separate
different applications using separate users, best would be to provide
full containerization...) and there is no separate Tryton server
running unused.

I will close this issue as the current situation is the best for the
Debian users of GNU Health.
You are obviously free to add more details and argument your position,
should you think this presents major issues for Debian or its users.
   +Emilien
[0] https://lists.debian.org/debian-med/2013/09/msg00077.html