Bug#336266: apt: docs haven't quite caught up with authentication
Package: apt
Version: 0.6.42.1
Severity: minor
Some documents could mention more about the new authentication system.
configure-index.gz includes "Authentication" and "GPGV" options under
APT that are not mentioned in apt.conf(5).
Conversely, configure-index.gz is missing
APT::Get::AllowUnauthenticated, which is mentioned in apt-get(8).
That is reported in bug #320225. This bug might be considered a
related item or superset of that bug.
The APT HOW-TO has a good discussion of authentication (as far as I
can tell--though I note it doesn't include either of the options
omitted from configure-index.gz), but the Users Guide doesn't mention
it, as far as I can tell. Since even novices may run into error
messages about authentication, it might be good to say something
there.
Finally, although it's not specifically about authentication, the
general syntax description in apt.conf(5) left me a bit puzzled:
1. Would APT{Get{Assume-Yes{"true";};};}; be valid? Put differently,
how many kinds of items are there? My guess is there are namespaces
(APT, APT::Get), option names (Assume-Yes) and option values ("Yes").
But I wonder if there are fewer kinds, e.g., Assume-Yes is the same
kind of thing as Get.
2. The allowed values are unclear, even for binary options. It's
unclear whether the values must be supplied, or are assumed. The
option names frequently seem to have a built-in direction (e.g.,
Assume-Yes).
Perhaps if I were more familar with the ISC syntax, which the man page
mentions, this would all be obvious. And it's not hard to guess the
answers, or at least a conservative approach that will work. Still,
it would be nice to be a bit more explicit.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (50, 'unstable'), (40, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.4.27adnvcd
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C (charmap=ANSI_X3.4-1968)
Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii libc6 2.3.5-6 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii libgcc1 1:4.0.2-2 GCC support library
ii libstdc++6 4.0.2-2 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3
apt recommends no packages.
-- no debconf information
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