Re: Bug#596529: lsb-base contains too many functions in init-functions

tags 596529 +wontfix
severity 596529 wishlist
thanks

Hi Rob,

(LSB maintainer wannabe [#616131] hat on).

Le 12.09.2010 15:45, Rob Fortune a écrit :
> According to:
> 
> http://refspecs.freestandards.org/LSB_3.2.0/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/iniscrptfunc.html
> 
> The following functions should be caused to exist:
> 
> start_daemon, killproc, pidofproc, log_success_msg, log_failure_msg,
> log_warning_msg
> 
> Your implementation does this, however it also causes a million other
> functions to exist which are not specified and programs rely on them
> since because you have put them in there, those programs believe them to
> be part of LSB.

("a million" is an obvious over-simplification).

Debian is currently not a certified LSB distribution (and will probably
not be in the near future).

It _is_ providing the mandatory functions, allowing an LSB-valid init
script to run on Debian.

Now if people write programs that use non-LSB convenience functions
provided by Debian and claim that those are LSB-compliant (despite
Debian not being LSB-certified), that's nothing Debian can take the
responsability of.

> This is causing corruption of the purpose of LSB. A perfectly confirming
> LSB distribution will not be able to run programs relying on debian
> specific functions caused to appear by this script. That causes harm to
> the whole purpose of having a common base.

While I see the problem you point, I disagree with your choice of words.

> You should unset your internal functions that are not in the list above
> before returning and if you want to use them as part of your
> implementation of the /lib/lsb/init-functions script, place them in a
> separate file, which /lib/lsb/init-functions sources and the other
> applications which wish to use them can source too. All the functions
> not specified by LSB should be unset before the script returns or you
> are harming the Linux community.

Again, I find your choice of words unnecessarily offensive.

Anyway, /lib/lsb/init-functions is currently sourced by millions (sic)
of init scripts in Debian packages and dropping functions from it will
impose a bunch of work for many Debian package maintainers, for the sole
purpose of "not providing more functions than what LSB mandates". I will
not push for this change, hence the "wontfix" tag.

Finally, I note that the LSB specification doesn't say
/lib/lsb/init-functions cannot provide more functions; it only writes
down which functions shall be provided; and those are provided by
Debian's /lib/lsb/init-functions.

Cheers,

OdyX

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