Return of config files to ^/etc

[Rodney W. Grimes]

> On Wed, Feb 19, 2020 at 8:02 AM Warner Losh <imp at bsdimp.com> wrote:
> 
> >
> > Right. The files don't need to move from the original /etc to do this, and
> > never did need to move. so this is not an argument against moving them back.
> >
> 
> This was just the background.
> 
> Since neither of these features strictly depends on where these files live
> > in the tree, this advantage doesn't go away.
> >
> 
> But not new people, who in most cases are used to the standard that is
> followed by everything else (including everything installed by ports):
> config files with the code that reads it.  That's why ^/etc is
> idiosyncratic.
> 
> And people are used to it. They don't know where everything has moved and
> > waste a lot of time finding stuff moved to a new, arbitrary location.
> >
> 
> This seems to be the primary argument made for ^/etc: "that's the way it's
> always been done, so it must be right."  I can think of a lot of things
> that are done a certain way primarily because of that argument.  I'm sure
> I'm not alone.

Background.  The layout of the BSD source tree reflects the layout of
the installed system.  It was by design decision long ago that src/etc
should contain what goes in /etc, just as src/bin contain what goes
in /bin.

> 
> The new locations are actually less "arbitrary" (to use your word) than
> ^/etc, since the config files are co-located with the code that reads
> them.  This is nice for source management: there's no need to look in or
> manage other directories for related files like the default configuration.
> It is a *source* tree, after all.

And that src tree matches the binary tree, what your advocating, though
sinceable, also has the negative side of removing that match.

> 
> Here's a question: why are config files special?  Why don't we store all
> man pages in ^/share/man/manX, instead of colocating them with their source
> files?

Because man pages do not control the system configuration and can be
installed at any time without any risk.  Config files are special and
must be treated special or "make installworld" is likely to clobber
your system.

> -- 
> wca
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-- 
Rod Grimes                                                 rgrimes at freebsd.org