Bug#1035733: debian -policy: packages must not use dpkg-divert to override default systemd configuraton files

[Sean Whitton]

Hello,

On Mon 08 May 2023 at 12:52PM -07, Russ Allbery wrote:

> Sean Whitton <spwhitton at spwhitton.name> writes:
>> On Mon 08 May 2023 at 08:48AM -07, Russ Allbery wrote:
>
>>> In other words, dpkg-divert is primarily for local administrators,
>>> non-Policy-compliant local packages that are doing unusual things, and
>>> the occasional rare problem that requires special coordination between
>>> packages, not something that Debian packages should be doing to other
>>> packages without explicit coordination.
>
>>> The rule about systemd and udev files doesn't entirely fall out of that
>>> statement,
>
>> Hmm, could you explain why?
>
> It didn't fall out of the above statement because the systemd unit file
> may not be shipped with the systemd package, but by some other random
> package, so you could have an explicit coordination with the package that
> provides the unit file but still be doing something that the systemd
> maintainers don't want to support.
>
> I think it does fall out of the somewhat squishier statement that you
> shouldn't use diversions when there's some other available mechanism to
> accomplish the same goal.

Thanks, I see.  I agree that we should have the latter statement.

>> I don't mean to dismiss the significant impact on the systemd
>> maintainers that's being claimed, but specifically calling out udev and
>> systemd configuration files seems strangely specific, for Policy, to me.
>
> I think they're a special case of the general rule that if there's some
> mechanism other than diversions to do what you want, you should use it
> instead, but it's such a common special case that we should call it out
> explicitly, particularly since a lot of people right now don't seem to
> know about masking or drop-ins.  So in other words, I think I basically
> agree with this, but I think it's worth spending some words on systemd and
> udev, more as a communication strategy than anything else.

Okay cool, I'm glad you're happy with my "For example ..." thing.

-- 
Sean Whitton
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