Package: dpkg
Version: 1.20.5
Severity: normal
X-Debbugs-Cc: hyil...@gmail.com
Some packages prompt for whether to accept the package manager's config file or
keep the one in the system (like the one shown below). It is quite common (as
was the case shown below) that the new config file is in fact just contains some
more documentation or commented out lines. I propose that, if all the lines that
changed are commented (either from ours or from maintainer), dpkg should *not*
prompt for the choice, but instead simply merge the new documentation/commented
out available options.
Configuration file '/etc/bluetooth/main.conf'
==> Modified (by you or by a script) since installation.
==> Package distributor has shipped an updated version.
What would you like to do about it ? Your options are:
Y or I : install the package maintainer's version
N or O : keep your currently-installed version
D : show the differences between the versions
Z : start a shell to examine the situation
The default action is to keep your current version.
*** main.conf (Y/I/N/O/D/Z) [default=N] ? y
A possible complication for this is that if the package maintainer or the
sysadmin of the system decides to re-arrange the order of the config option
lines, then simply merging might further complicate the issue, and result in a
convoluted file with the same options showing up at multiple places, which is
undesirable even though all of those duplicated lines were commented. But I am
sure we can discuss and find a reasonable merge strategy to adopt that would
a) allow not having to deal with the choice if everything changed was just
comments
b) automatic action wouldn't ultimately lead to complex/broken config files if
some common editing actions such as swapping chucks of lines were performed
-- Package-specific info:
System tainted due to merged-usr-via-symlinks.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: bullseye/sid
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (990, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: i386
Kernel: Linux 5.7.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU threads)
Kernel taint flags: TAINT_PROPRIETARY_MODULE, TAINT_WARN, TAINT_OOT_MODULE,
TAINT_UNSIGNED_MODULE
Locale: LANG=en_US.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)
LSM: AppArmor: enabled
Versions of packages dpkg depends on:
ii libbz2-1.0 1.0.8-4
ii libc6 2.31-3
ii liblzma5 5.2.4-1+b1
ii libselinux1 3.1-2
ii tar 1.30+dfsg-7
ii zlib1g 1:1.2.11.dfsg-2
dpkg recommends no packages.
Versions of packages dpkg suggests:
ii apt 2.1.10
pn debsig-verify <none>
-- no debconf information
