> >> New systems would need to have a /var/spool/mail -> /var/mail symbolic > >> link for about two years. > > Erik Troan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > No, forever. Red Hat is promising an upgrade path for a lot longer then two > > years -- we've already provided upgradeable distributions for 3.5. > > I said "new systems", not systems that are being upgraded. > > > You seem to be ignoring the upgrade issue. Allowing in-place upgrades > > necessetates /var/spool/mail to exist in some form. > > I'm not ignoring it, I just don't think it's a problem. > > If today's in-place upgrades don't allow /var/spool/mail to be a > symbolic link, then they are broken. The same would be true for > /var/mail on a system that still mounted the spool on /var/spool/mail.
I think interoperability requires that they be compatible as long as possible, preferrably indefinitely. I would suggest: 1. REQUIRE /var/mail and /var/spool/mail to both exist, and be aliases. 2. RECOMMEND future use of /var/mail throughout. 3. DEPRECATE the use of /var/spool/mail. I don't see a need for abolishing the link /var/spool/mail any time soon; it has to remain reserved namespace indefinitely anyway. -hpa