[cl-debian] Bug#329347: common-lisp-controller: checking of permissions of the output directory

[Faré]

A lot of packages install stuff in the user directory.
Mozilla, Gimp, OpenOffice, KDE, GNOME, etc., will all create their
own directories under ~/.<foo> and install a shitload of crap.
Sometimes, their offer to upgrade from a previous version,
and optionally offer to delete cruft from previous versions.

Modifying users' directories is something done casually.
The only problem is when it's done in unexpected, undocumented
and/or unpredictable ways. Creating a well-defined ~/.cache/ hierarchy
for such things as erasable caches is a generally good idea,
and we should encourage more packages rather than less to do use it.
I'm sure you can also invent a configuration file for users to specify
their preferences regarding automatic administration of his home.

[ François-René ÐVB Rideau | Reflection&Cybernethics | http://fare.tunes.org ]
One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises,
is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do. -- Henry Ford


On 9/21/05, René van Bevern <rvb at progn.org> wrote:
> On 21.09.05, Faré wrote:
> 
> Hi Faré,
> 
> > The only possible downside is having to walk /etc/passwd to locate
> > all the places where to purge the cache, if you wish to do such
> > thing.
> 
> No, it is the plain and true evil for package maintainer scripts to
> delete or modify files in users' home directories. It's the user's
> personal space and you never know what he uses ~/.cache for. The
> system should never modify the home directory and I do not know of one
> single package that does.
> 
> 	René