[Bug 69412] Re: Meta-bug: Package upgrades don't automagically merge config file changes

[shaju]

i need more time for a further comment

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/69412

Title:
  Meta-bug:  Package upgrades don't automagically merge config file
  changes

Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid
Status in “update-manager” package in Ubuntu:
  Invalid

Bug description:
  At the Ohio LinuxFest in 2005, I spoke at length with one of the
  Ubuntu developers who convinced me to convert to Ubuntu.  Apparently,
  he convinced me under false pretences.

  See, I had been using Gentoo, and one of the most nightmarish things
  about it was the breakages that resulted from package upgrades.  A lot
  of the trouble had to do with minor changes I would make to config
  files.  For instance, PHP has an option to make all GET and POST
  variables globals.  I had a bunch of old code that required this, so I
  would always change the option.  Whenever PHP would be upgraded, I'd
  have to hassle with replacing the old config file with the new one and
  making my manual changes (because there were lots of defaults that
  were changed with the upgrade).  This was much worse for many other
  packages.

  When explaining this to the Ubuntu developer, he told me that Ubuntu
  takes care of all of this automatically.  The post-install or pre-
  install script, he said, would compare the old and new config files,
  and if there were simple changes to options common for both versions
  of the package, then the script would automatically propagate the
  changes to the new version of the config file.

  I have since learned that what he told me isn't true.

  So, here's my suggestion:  In your efforts to make Ubuntu even easier
  for the average person to use, please develop a system for propagating
  config-file changes across package versions, without losing the
  changes that come along with the new package.  In other words, do an
  intelligent merge.

  If anyone is interested, I would be happy to work on this!  It might
  not be in the language you want (I don't know Python or Perl), but I
  could provide you with a tool that would take an old default config,
  an old modified config, and a new default config and produce a new
  modified config that, under most circumstances (that would have to be
  decided on a per-package basis) would work properly.

  An important factor that would help out here considerably (also part
  of Ubuntu's effort to become more friendly) is to discourage users
  from making manual config changes from a text editor.  Rather, most
  packages should have configuration tools that offer the user a
  graphical menu-driven way to modify settings.  With this, config
  changes are sufficiently well controlled that the merge tool should
  work flawlessly most of the time.

  Anyone interested?

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