On 11/18/2009 12:49 PM, Rex Dieter wrote:
On 11/18/2009 11:44 AM, Tom Lane wrote:
John Dennis<jdennis@xxxxxxxxxx> writes:
My inclination is the packaging guidelines should encourage the removal
of data files generated by the package when the package is removed.
In the case of the database packages the longstanding policy is the
opposite. I can see encouraging packagers to remove orphaned preference
or configuration files, but not potentially-high-value user data.
whole-heartedly agree, it's something that really is best managed on a
case-by-case basis (probably one reason why it's not in the
guidelines... yet).
Both Rex and Tom immediately converged on exactly the issue I was
thinking about, database style packages.
I can see a strong argument for preserving the content after package
removal, if this is the precedence I think the guidelines should at
least state this, but permit per-package interpretation as opposed to
enforcing a mandate.
However I can also see a strong argument for wanting a package to clean
up after itself so that a user does not have to find every place a
package has written files, which in many instances is not so easy to
discern. The principle of least surprise might suggest removing a
package removes everything associated with the package.
--
John Dennis <jdennis@xxxxxxxxxx>
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