Bug#45406: PROPOSAL] Config files must have manpages

[Bob Hilliard <hilliard@flinet.com>]

Raphael Hertzog <rhertzog@hrnet.fr> writes:

> Le Sat, Sep 18, 1999 at 04:10:42AM -0300, Nicolás Lichtmaier écrivait:
> > Package: debian-policy
> > Severity: wishlist
> > Version: 3.0.1.1
> > 
> >  Most configuration files have manpages, but not all. It would be useful
> > if every config file (intended to be edited) would be forced to be
> > documented in a manpage.
> 
> No I don't think that it's good idea. There's no point adding a bunch of
> undocumented symlink to all missing man page for configuration file. :-)
> 
> I agree that having a man page for the configuration file is good but I
> don't want to force Debian developers to write man page for each
> configuration file that is not documented upstream. Furthermore some
> configuration files are well documented but in a file in /usr/share/doc
> and so on. There's no need to force the existence of a man page.

     Many upstream manpages include a section on configuration files.
In such cases, it would be foolish to require the Debian maintainer to
produce a stand-alone manpage for the configuration file.  IMO, it
would be preferable to encourage maintainers to add configure file
information to the executable's manpage.  The manpages are for
information about the executables, not for configuration files.

     Many default configuration files are self documented by their
comments.  The earlier objections to this that a sysadmin might delete
the comments are not valid.  The sysadmin could delete all
documentation, including manpages, if he was foolish enough to do so.
It is not our business to protect a sysadmin from himself.

Bob
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  |_)  _  |_       Robert D. Hilliard    <hilliard@flinet.com>
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