Date:        Tue, 6 Nov 2001 10:24:29 +0100
    From:        Alistair Crooks <agc@pkgsrc.org>
    Message-ID:  <20011106102429.V6507@smaug.fh-regensburg.de>

  | Installation of a package by source or by pkg_add'ing a binary package does
  | break it, though.

NetBSD needs lots more work before a general purpose system (as opposed
to an embedded system perhaps) with a read only /etc will work (just
think /etc/ptmp ...)

Worrying about that as an issue here is just plain silly.

  | No, wanting everything under ${PREFIX} is not a silly idea - it
  | is quite logical and consistent.

Personally, I prefer to have the administration type files (rc.d type
stuff, etc) in $PREFIX/etc and the per host config files somewhere
else entirely.

Mixing the two together (as is done with /etc of course) is not a
logical or consistent design.

  | thereby making
  | people's /etc and ${PREFIX}/etc directories possibly duplicatory.

That shouldn't happen - having the stuff in one place is all that is
needed, the only question is where.

  | I think Fred suggested a way recently whereby we would install config
  | files to SYSTEM_CONFIG_DIR,

That would be fine - I like to stick all conf files (minus the
silly ".conf") in /etc/conf rather than directly in /etc.

It makes them much easier to spot amongst all the noise.   Just be
aware that everything that is currently shoved in /etc (or $PREFIX/etc)
is not a config file - only a small proportion of them.   The rest are
what are better described as ancillary files - necessary for things to
work (or work nicely) but certainly not intended for arbitrary changes.

kre