review request for the debconf templates used by the nvidia graphics driver [non-free]

[Andreas Beckmann]

On 2012-07-10 16:28, Jonathan Nieder wrote:
> Justin B Rye wrote:
>> Andreas Beckmann wrote:
> 
>>> Template: nvidia-support/removed-but-enabled-in-xorg-conf
> Actually, couldn't this end up popping up during a normal uninstall?

Isn't it supposed to do this?

There is no debconf assisted way to create a working config (that is
going to break in 1000 ways if we allow people to use nvidia-xconfig or
nvidia-settings), so there is no cleanup support either. Patches welcome :-)
Just a reminder for people installing/uninstalling that they need to do
something more to enable/disable the driver. And possibilities to
disable these checks via preseeding.

> if I do
> 
> 	apt-get --purge remove nvidia-support nvidia-kernel-common

that will remove the whole nvidia stack ...

> then since neither depends on the other, if I understand correctly
> the order of removal is undefined.

... which has well defined dependencies, the templates are shipped in
-support (so there is only one copy to maintain), but used from
xserver-xorg-video-nvidia(-legacy*) which depend on -support

> One crazy possibility: would it make sense for nvidia-kernel-common to
> depend on nvidia-support to prevent that?

n-k-c (which reaches back to ancient history) does not use debconf at all

>> (I would say "the only option"; less logical but more idiomatic.)
> 
> Small side note: There are some other options:
> 
>  - use the vesa driver
>  - use the nouveau kernel driver with the xserver-xorg-video-fbdev DDX

We could say "the best option" instead of "the only option" and leave it
to the user to figure out alternatives.

> By the way, what configuration interferes that this purge avoids?  It
> sounds like a bug.

/etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-kernel-common.conf: blacklist nouveau

Patches welcome :-)


Andreas