[Fedora-packaging] Moving configuration files in a package...

[Darryl L. Pierce]

On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 01:14:11AM +0200, Kalev Lember wrote:
> On 09/25/2013 05:56 PM, Darryl L. Pierce wrote:
> > For one package I maintain (qpid-cpp-server) the upstream team moved the
> > location of the configuration file from /etc to /etc/qpid, where the
> > other configuration files lived.
> > 
> > I pushed the latest update and am now getting hit with negative karma
> > and a BZ complaining about this change.
> > 
> > What is SOP for when a project moves configurations? I had resisted the
> > suggestion of having the spec move the configuration. Talking with other
> > packagers they agreed. But simply replying to a BZ with "the file's
> > moved, just copy yours over" and closing the BZ feels a bit aloof.
> > 
> > Suggestions?
> 
> I would leave the new qpid-cpp version to F20+ only. People can deal
> with changes during distro upgrades -- they know that stuff might have
> changed and can manually fix up any issues that the migration might have
> caused. They are also more likely to have taken backups and other
> precautions, so that if your rpm overwrites an other config file during
> a distro upgrade, it's not the end of the world for them.
> 
> Doing major configuration file reorganization in a stable Fedora
> release, when people are minding their own business and not looking out
> for changes, might not be appreciated by users.
> 
> See also http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Updates_Policy#Stable_Releases

That's a very good point, one I hadn't considered. For future updates
I'll keep major releases to n+1 only and only backport on requests.

-- 
Darryl L. Pierce <mcpierce at gmail.com>
http://mcpierce.fedorapeople.org/
"What do you care what people think, Mr. Feynman?"
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