OSMA 5 on Fedora Core 4

[Robert Ham]

Should we remove /sbin/shutdown?  That can bring the machine down.  Or all of /usr/bin/*?  They can cause core dumps.  Saying that an RPM should refuse to install because it the software it contains might be decrease stability is ludicrous.  The responsibility of deciding whether to install the software lies on the shoulders of the administrator, and they have already made that decision when the RPM is installed.  We know this because they're installing the RPM!  For the RPM scripts to then turn around and say "I'm sorry, but the responsibility to administer this machine is mine.  I will stop now, regardless of what you have asked me to do" is beyond absurd.

You, in fact, cannot argue that the purpose of RPM is to *prevent* me from installing software, regardless of whether or not the software is deemed by the RPM authors, or anyone else, as "dangerous" in whatever circumstances.  The purpose of RPM is to *enable* me to install software.  The purpose of the scripts in an RPM is to DO WHAT THEY ARE TOLD and not WHAT THEY THINK I WANT.  For an RPM script to second guess an administrator is an insult, and the insult comes from the RPM packagers.  In this case, that is Dell.  I would like them to answer for themselves.

Robert

--
Robert_Ham at bristol-city.gov.uk 
0117 92 22494
Analyst Programmer
Children and Young People's Services IT
Bristol City Council


>>> "Colin Schuster" <colin.schuster at gmail.com> 06/09/2006 10:28:58 >>>
One could argue the purpose of RPM is also to do these types of checks in
order to prevent you from installing software that might do more harm than
good on a particular machine - like cause a core dump and bring the machine
down.


> I don't understand how the fact that the software will not do
> anything useful on my particular hardware has resulted in an RPM which
> throws up an error when there is no problem installing the RPM into the
> filesystem.  That's the purpose of the RPM; not to try and determine whether
> the software in it will work.  The software will do that itself.  There's no
> logic to this, unless I'm missing something.  Am I missing something?
>