Bug#409335: [Pkg-cups-devel] Bug#409335: cupsys: packages must not ship directories under /usr/local

[Frank Küster]

Kenshi Muto <kmuto at debian.org> wrote:

> At Fri, 2 Feb 2007 10:58:38 +0200,
> Martin-Éric Racine wrote:
>> On 2/2/07, Frank Küster <frank at kuesterei.ch> wrote:
>> > Steve Langasek <vorlon at debian.org> wrote:
>> > > The change requested in 408154 is a policy violation.  Packages are not
>> > > allowed to ship any directories under the /usr/local heirarchy; they must be
>> > > created in the postinst and removed in the prerm.
>> > >
>> > > This bug now blocks getting the fix for RC bug 403703 into etch, so please
>> > > revert the change.
>
> Hm, I understand the situation.
>
>> > Instead of just reverting, you could also apply this simple patch:
>> > +
>> > +  * Use dh_usrlocal to install files in /usr/local in the maintainer
>> > +    scripts, instead of shipping them in the deb
>> 
>> Unless I misunderstood the man page, dh_usrlocal is meant for software
>> that builds into /usr/local, which we don't. We're only adding a local
>> directory in case others need it to install their own PPD.
>
> I think so too.

No, you both are wrong.  No Debian package is allowed to "build into
/usr/local".  However, they may *provide* empty directories below
/usr/local, see the Debian Policy "9.1.2 Site-specific programs".  Here,
provide means to create/remove them in maintainer scripts, exiting
gracefully if /usr/local is mounted read-only.  dh_usrlocal is exactly
for this, as you can see from the manpage:

*********** 
dh_usrlocal is a debhelper program that can be used for
building packages that will provide a subdirectory in /usr/local when
installed                   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
*********** 

or by just trying the patch...

>> We probably should not ship any directory in /usr/local or /opt
>> anyhow. 

You should, as correctly requested in #408154, and (at least for
/usr/local) suggested in the Debian policy

>> Even worse, those PPD directories are not only used by CUPS; other
>> PostScript applications and printer daemons use them too. The proper
>> solution would be to add those directories to the filesystem skeleton
>> used by debian-installer and to the FHS specs.

No, before this can be done you'd have to change Debian Policy, who
currently leaves this to individual packages.

Regards, Frank
-- 
Dr. Frank Küster
Single Molecule Spectroscopy, Protein Folding @ Inst. f. Biochemie, Univ. Zürich
Debian Developer (teTeX/TeXLive)