install/47956: etcupdate asks for questions it can derive

[reinoud%heethoofdje.13thmonkey.org@localhost]

>Number:         47956
>Category:       install
>Synopsis:       etcupdate asks for questions it can derive
>Confidential:   no
>Severity:       non-critical
>Priority:       medium
>Responsible:    install-manager
>State:          open
>Class:          change-request
>Submitter-Id:   net
>Arrival-Date:   Sun Jun 23 15:10:00 +0000 2013
>Originator:     Reinoud Zandijk
>Release:        NetBSD 6.1_RC2
>Organization:
NetBSD
        
>Environment:
        
        
System: NetBSD heethoofdje.13thmonkey.org 6.1_RC2 NetBSD 6.1_RC2 (GENERIC) #13: 
Sat Mar 23 21:29:58 CET 2013 
reinoud%heethoofdje.13thmonkey.org@localhost:/usr/sources/cvs.netbsd.org/src-6-debug/sys/arch/i386/compile/GENERIC
 i386
Architecture: i386
Machine: i386
>Description:

When updating a NetBSD machine, one has to run `etcupdate' after unpacking the
new sets. It then tries to merge the changes in files in the /etc directory
with the new /etc files. What is annoying is that some changes can be fixed by
postinstall(8) but are asked by etcupdate too like user/group additions but
also etcupdate shows diffs between the installed scripts and new scripts.

What i would like to see is making etcupdate smarter, like first checking if a
file has been modified by the user and if not install the newer one over it.
If its changed, ask the user if it can auto-patch it. This can be done just
like cvs updates it, by creating a patch file on the origional and then
applying it on the new one.

        
>How-To-Repeat:
Use etcupdate after unpacking the sets and get lots of tedius questions that
need some expert knowledge (from a newbies perspective) to answer. Most of
them are auto-solvable if not auto-patchable.

        
>Fix:
Fixup etcupdate
        

>Unformatted: