[Pkg-mailman-hackers] Re: multilingual templates in Debian mailman [was: a picture, and a problem with the Debian package]

[Lionel Elie Mamane]

On Fri, Jun 23, 2006 at 02:02:10PM +0200, Fil wrote:

>> When installing the mailman package, you got asked which languages
>> you want that site to support. You didn't include Spanish in the
>> list. Use "dpkg-reconfigure mailman" to change the list. All
>> languages supported by a list on the site are forced on, meaning if
>> you turn them off, they are turned back on in your back.

> Why are not all templates installed, instead of only a subset?

For disk space usage reasons. I think previous versions did that (it
was before I became really active in the Debian mailman
package). People with tiny root partitions complained loudly, so the
current compromise was implemented.

> What happens if Mailman adds a template, or modifies one?

If mailman adds a template, you can add it to the supported set with
"dpkg-reconfigure mailman". Maybe you'll even be asked on upgrade.

If mailman modifies a template:

 - If the administrator has not modified the same template, too, then
   the new mailman template gets installed on upgrade.

 - If the administrator has modified the same template, the upgrade
   procedure shows hir the old Mailman template, the new Mailman
   template, the version that is now in /etc/mailman/XX/foo, diffs
   between those, etc and asks him what to do (keep what's now in
   /etc/mailman/XX/foo, install the new mailman template, try to apply
   the diff between the old and new mailman template to what's now in
   /etc/mailman/XX/foo, give the administrator a shell to sort it out
   manually, ...)

>>> which has weird symlinks:
>>>         /var/lib/mailman/templates -> /etc/mailman

>> Templates can be changed by the administrator and are thus
>> considered as configuration files and are thus in /etc/, as per
>> Debian policy (and Linux FHS). This guarantees that a package
>> upgrade won't override changes the administrator may have made.

> OK. Why are not the templates in /etc/mailman/templates/ ? I find
> this a bit confusing

/etc/mailman/templates/ would have been a good choice indeed.

-- 
Lionel