Bug#966621: Make /tmp/ a tmpfs and cleanup /var/tmp/ on a timer by default [was: Re: systemd: tmpfiles.d not cleaning /var/tmp by default]

[Richard Lewis]

Luca Boccassi <bluca at debian.org> writes:

> Hence, I am not really looking for philosophical discussions or lists
> of personal preferences or hypotheticals, but for facts: what would
> break where, and how to fix it?

cleaning /tmp or /var/tmp: users may lose files if they dont realise a
  directory tmp can be cleaned without a reboot. something in /var/tmp
  that's been in there for 35 days before an upgrade might be deleted
  before the user reads the NEWS.Debian email, meaning they have no
  chance to react). Maybe you could postpone the very first deletion
  until after the next reboot?

using a tmpfs: is there a risk of losing unrelated data due to more
  frequent OOM killing random other programmes due to /tmp using all the
  memory?  is there a case to only use a tmpfs if the system has
  "enough" memory?