[ On Friday, November 15, 2002 at 13:03:01 (-0800), Jeremy C. Reed wrote: ]
> Subject: let's choose a default var/ directory PKG_VARDIR
>
> Anyways for some consistency, I propose we provide a setting, like
> PKG_VARDIR which could default to ${PREFIX}/var.

No, please no.  That's a very BAD idea.

All files matching the criteria for the /var hierarchy should, by
default, always be put in one lone /var.

Indeed I cannot quite imagine any reason to ever put /var files for
packages in any other location than that where all normal /var-like
files go, which is of course somewhere under the one true /var (which
will normally be a separate filesystem, hopefully with specific mount
options that restrict its use to the sole purposes of /var files.

> In testing packages, it is important that it doesn't blindly use /var.
> For example, glibc's /usr/pkg/var/run/utmp vs. BSD's /var/run/utmp.

That's a different problem.  Glibc should use /var/run/gutmp or
something like that if it uses a different format for its utmp-like file
-- i.e. not, by default, something outside of the appropriate
sub-directory of /var.

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

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