git: 184d64af1344 - main - locales: stop hardcoding the directories in the mtree

[Rodney W. Grimes]

[ Charset UTF-8 unsupported, converting... ]
> On Wed, Aug 4, 2021 at 7:44 AM Rodney W. Grimes <freebsd at gndrsh.dnsmgr.net>
> wrote:
> 
> > > 3 ao?t 2021 19:32:44 Rodney W. Grimes <freebsd at gndrsh.dnsmgr.net>:
> > >
> > > >> The branch main has been updated by bapt:
> > > >>
> > > >> URL:
> > https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/src/commit/?id=184d64af1344d6f3c370499510cede49320f4863
> > > >>
> > > >> commit 184d64af1344d6f3c370499510cede49320f4863
> > > >> Author:???? Baptiste Daroussin <bapt at FreeBSD.org>
> > > >> AuthorDate: 2021-08-03 12:25:00 +0000
> > > >> Commit:???? Baptiste Daroussin <bapt at FreeBSD.org>
> > > >> CommitDate: 2021-08-03 12:25:00 +0000
> > > >>
> > > >> ??? locales: stop hardcoding the directories in the mtree
> > > >> ???
> > > >> ??? The framework knows how to create directories and tag them
> > properly
> > > >> ??? for a the creation of a mtree, not need to hardcode all the
> > locales
> > > >> ??? entries in bsd.usr.mk
> > > >> ???
> > > >> ??? This simplifies addition of new locales but also allow people
> > building
> > > >> ??? with WITHOUT_LOCALES to end up with a directory full of empty
> > files
> > > >
> > > > The uses of /etc/mtree go beyond the simple directory creation,
> > > > please cause something to build a BSD.locale.dist file and install
> > > > it in /etc/mtree to replace the functionality removal you have
> > > > just performed.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > > Rod
> > > >
> > >
> > > Please provide a valid use case not working anymore after this change
> > and I will consider.
> >
> > From mtree(1):
> >         The mtree utility compares a file hierarchy against a
> > specification,
> >
> > Since the shipped specification is now incomplete it can no longer be used
> > to do validate the hiararchy of a system against RELEASED /etc/mtree files.
> >
> 
> install -d broke this at least a decade or more ago.

install -d did not break this, use of install -d does not preclude
maintaining mtree files.  install -d is only used in a few places.

> Most people really
> don't
> care outside of things in /var getting created since validating directories
> is
> of such little functionality w/o also validating binaries and such. It's
> used
> in bsd.files.mk which is included by lots of things in the tree.

So we only catter to "some people" is what your saying, since "most
people" dont care?

> 
> > Note that this is not the only part of the tree where the same thing is
> > done.
> >
> > More regression does not make regression right.
> >
> 
> The decision was made a long time ago to leave this feature behind, though
> you can still get it today if you do a NO_ROOT build because that creates a
> metafile that includes both directories and files for the system. pkg base
> uses
> that to generate its packages. NO_ROOT builds are better anyway, because
> it also lets you tag each file / directory on a per-package basis so you
> don't
> have them if you don't install a specific package.

This "feature" and mtree has NOT been left behind.  Make hierarchy
and the mtree files are still very much being used by the build and
release process.

And again, age of regression does not make regression correct.
We are often "fixing" 20 year old bugs, should we stop fixing
them cause they are "old"?

More "death by a 1000 prickly sticks" cause developers dont use every
feature that users do and some users like the features they have
been using to continue to be usable.

> Warner
> > > Best, Bapt
> > Rod Grimes
> > rgrimes at freebsd.org
-- 
Rod Grimes                                                 rgrimes at freebsd.org