Removing the need for ./configure --localstatedir=/var ?

Removing the need for ./configure --localstatedir=/var ?

[Christopher Allan Webber]

Every now and then I rebuild Guix and hit the problem where I run
./configure and then I am reminded that I need to instead do:

  ./configure --localstatedir=/var

IIRC this is because of GNU standards about default paths and pretty
much no other reason that we don't default to /var.  But I think Guix is
a special case.

Should we ask maybe for an exception?  There's no reason for users to
bump into this.  It's annoying even for me, and at least I know (or
think I do) why.

 - Chris

Re: Removing the need for ./configure --localstatedir=/var ?

[Efraim Flashner]

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On Thu, Sep 07, 2017 at 12:02:43PM -0500, Christopher Allan Webber wrote:
> Every now and then I rebuild Guix and hit the problem where I run
> ./configure and then I am reminded that I need to instead do:
> 
>   ./configure --localstatedir=/var
> 
> IIRC this is because of GNU standards about default paths and pretty
> much no other reason that we don't default to /var.  But I think Guix is
> a special case.
> 
> Should we ask maybe for an exception?  There's no reason for users to
> bump into this.  It's annoying even for me, and at least I know (or
> think I do) why.
> 
>  - Chris
> 

I've made sure to also pass --sysconfdir=/etc so that /etc/guix/acl
doesn't end up in /usr/local/etc/guix/acl, leading to a split between
`guix foo' and './pre-inst-env guix foo'.

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Re: Removing the need for ./configure --localstatedir=/var ?

[Ludovic Courtès]

Christopher Allan Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> skribis:

> Every now and then I rebuild Guix and hit the problem where I run
> ./configure and then I am reminded that I need to instead do:
>
>   ./configure --localstatedir=/var
>
> IIRC this is because of GNU standards about default paths and pretty
> much no other reason that we don't default to /var.  But I think Guix is
> a special case.
>
> Should we ask maybe for an exception?

No need to ask.  :-)

> There's no reason for users to bump into this.  It's annoying even for
> me, and at least I know (or think I do) why.

I think it would be surprising to users who install from source if
localstatedir is not under $prefix by default (someone who wants to
install to /opt/foo would be surprised to find out that some files go to
/var instead of /opt/foo/var.)

There’s also the question of “make dist”, which should still DTRT.

We could have $prefix default to /… but that’s not quite what one might
expect either.

I think the current situation is a good middle ground, even though I can
also sympathize with your frustration.

Thoughts?

It’s weird how a simple question like this can be seemingly this complex
to address.  :-)

Ludo’.

Re: Removing the need for ./configure --localstatedir=/var ?

[Christopher Allan Webber]

Ludovic Courtès writes:

> Christopher Allan Webber <cwebber@dustycloud.org> skribis:
>
>> Every now and then I rebuild Guix and hit the problem where I run
>> ./configure and then I am reminded that I need to instead do:
>>
>>   ./configure --localstatedir=/var
>>
>> IIRC this is because of GNU standards about default paths and pretty
>> much no other reason that we don't default to /var.  But I think Guix is
>> a special case.
>>
>> Should we ask maybe for an exception?
>
> No need to ask.  :-)
>
>> There's no reason for users to bump into this.  It's annoying even for
>> me, and at least I know (or think I do) why.
>
> I think it would be surprising to users who install from source if
> localstatedir is not under $prefix by default (someone who wants to
> install to /opt/foo would be surprised to find out that some files go to
> /var instead of /opt/foo/var.)
>
> There’s also the question of “make dist”, which should still DTRT.
>
> We could have $prefix default to /… but that’s not quite what one might
> expect either.
>
> I think the current situation is a good middle ground, even though I can
> also sympathize with your frustration.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> It’s weird how a simple question like this can be seemingly this complex
> to address.  :-)
>
> Ludo’.

Okay!  If you feel confident it's the right thing, then I'm not going to
argue about it.  The warning helps... it's just a little bit annoying :)