[TriLUG] conf files (was re: cdrecord or something like that)

[Lee Fickenscher]

On Tue, Apr 08, 2003 at 06:11:42PM -0400, Tanner Lovelace wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-04-08 at 18:31, Lee Fickenscher wrote:
> > WOOT! I found the answer...
> > According to FHS 3.7.1 default files should not go in /etc/*.
> > http://www.pathname.com/fhs/2.2/fhs-3.7.html says:
> > /etc contains configuration files and directories that are specific to
> > the current system.
> > 
> > Since defaults aren't specific to the current system, they obviously
> > don't belong there! :-)
> > 
> > Now, as to where they do belong....
> 
> Lee,
> 
> It depends on what you actually mean by defaults.  In this case,
> it seems like it was meant to be the "default" values for the
> system it's installed on.  I'll agree that the word "default"
> is overloaded in this case, but I'm not sure what else to
> call it (site-specific configuration options is just way too 
> long. :-)  
> 
> For an example of what I mean by "defaults" consider the
> /usr/lib/X11/app-defaults directory that holds the system
<snip>
> 
> Cheers,
> Tanner

What I mean is that if something is truly a "default", so much that you
don't need to modify the conf file to get it working, does it really
need a conf file? Hard code the defaults and have it use those if it
finds no conf file. That way, if the defaults work for ya, great... no
extra work, conf file, or confusion over where the conf file should be.
If the defaults don't work for you, (vim|emacs|nano|ed|whatever)
file.conf. I think I kinda drifted from the original arguement of where
the conf file should be kept to should there be a conf file, but oh
well... :-)

-Lee

-- 
Microsoft: for whom the bell tolls...