Re: Proposal question.

[Dennis Leeuw]

Nicola Pero wrote:

> > > > > The general idea is that that is done via unix-like configuration 
> > > > > files,
> > > > > basically a very simple ~/.GNUsteprc.
> > > >
> > > > What's wrong with:
> > > >
> > > >        . /usr/local/GNUstep/System/Makefiles/GNUstep.sh
> > > >        export GNUSTEP_USER_ROOT=$HOME/GNU-I-prefer-it-named-such-STEP
> > >
> > > Good question :-) - it's technical and I suppose there must already be a
> > > long thread archived about that somewhere.
> > >
> > > I'm likely not good at explaining that - anyway, basically, to support
> > > properly the API and programs changing user, gnustep-base needs to be able
> > > to determine the gnustep user root dir of a generic user (particularly, of
> > > a user which is not the user the library originally started as).
> > >
> > > If the generic user customizes his own gnustep user root dir by setting a
> > > shell variable in his ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile ... there is no way we can
> > > get it from inside gnustep-base running originally for another user.
> > >
> > > Setting it inside a ~/.GNUsteprc solves the problem.
> > >
> > > It's not particularly more complicated than setting GNUSTEP_USER_ROOT ...
> > > actually maybe even easier - and likely much easier to be changed/setup in
> > > a reliable but automatical way by software.
> >
> > May be I should object to such programs, then.
>
> It is a common behaviours for servers to start as root, then soon
> afterwards switch to a different user (eg, apache is normally doing that).
>
> These servers start as root, but when they switch to a different user,
> they can no longer access/read/write root's gnustep user root and root's
> gnustep defaults.
>
> What gnustep user root should they be using then ?
>
> What gnustep user defaults ?
>
> They can't be using the old ones, since they can't even access it.  They
> need ones.  They should be able to run properly as proper processes for
> the new user - which includes accessing user defaults for the new user,
> and includes accessing GNUSTEP_USER_ROOT of the new user, which is often
> used to store any sort of user-specific data and information.
>
> > Do you realize  that a given user may  have several GNUSTEP_USER_ROOT,
> > and that his .profile may select automatically one or the other (along
> > with  different GNUSTEP_SYSTEM_ROOT and  GNUSTEP_LOCAL_ROOT) depending
> > on various circumstances.  The simpliest  of which may be a NFS-shared
> > home   directory   mounted   on   various   systems   with   different
> > architectures.
>
> Hmmm - very interesting example - thanks ... hmmm.
>
> Maybe we should extend .GNUsteprc to support multiple sections for
> multiple machines, or perhaps have the option of having .GNUsteprc-host
> files which would be used in preference to .GNUsteprc (if the hostname
> matches the matchine we are running on).  That would allow the user to
> decide if he wants the same gnustep user root and gnustep user defaults on
> all machines or to have a different one on some special machine.
>
> If you (/someone) have a more brilliant idea, suggestions are welcome.

I don't know if it is more brilliant, but it is just an idea:
First of all I'd like to stress the importance of having ~/GNUstep as the place 
for
ALL GNUstep user stuff, so imho the logical way to configure GNUstep should be
~/GNUstep/Library/Preferences/Defaults/ix86/linux-gnu/gnu-gnu-gnu
Now you can have different configurations for different systems and
architectures... I think that was the whole idea by a non flattened directory
structure.

That brings me to a second point with which I am struggling in my mind for some
time, the system wide defaults. I think this structure should be mirrored in
/usr/GNUstep/System too with systemwide defaults.

As a sysadmin I would like to set a generic default for fonts, language and
timezone once. What a user sets afterwards is his/her problem and 
responsibility.

Greetings,

Dennis Leeuw