"Chatty" config files in /etc

[M. Warner Losh]

In message: <20060831100004.GB52914 at rambler-co.ru>
            Ruslan Ermilov <ru at FreeBSD.org> writes:
: > b) by putting them in /etc/defaults, users do *see* the changes
: >    when they run mergemaster, even though they won't have to
: >    merge those changes with local changes.  In some cases the
: >    changes to the comments or examples will suggest some change
: >    that the user should be making to their own already-working
: >    configuration, even though their configuration won't match
: >    the default system-config.  I'm thinking when some comment
: >    is added like:
: >        # NOTE: Please see pf.conf(5) BUGS section before
: >        # using user/group rules.
: > 
: No, /etc/defaults are different beasties -- they are true
: default config files -- they are either used if there's no
: corresponding version under /etc, or most likely sourced
: to provide defaults.  To be moved to /etc/defaults, a file
: should gain the same property.

Agreed.  We've done this with all the other ones...

I'd be real careful about doing it to /etc/hosts, however, as there
are a large number of tools that munge it that might break if this is
done badly...

Warner