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Subject: Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: [PATCH] acct-user.eclass: don't modify existing
 user by default
To: gentoo-dev@lists.gentoo.org
References: <20210104013558.20072-1-whissi@gentoo.org>
 <robbat2-20210104T070723-323019811Z@orbis-terrarum.net>
 <m3a6tor6qy.fsf@carbon.jhcloos.org>
From: Michael Orlitzky <mjo@gentoo.org>
Message-ID: <89a1c171-de56-4f9e-af2a-9140d2be3552@gentoo.org>
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2021 13:07:20 -0500
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On 1/4/21 11:45 AM, James Cloos wrote:
>>>>>> "RHJ" == Robin H Johnson <robbat2@gentoo.org> writes:
> 
> RHJ> The best I can come up with at the moment, is that any packaging should
> RHJ> detect if there are user modifications, and provide control to users
> RHJ> based on that fact.
> 
> Exactly.  Akin to etc-update.
> 

We could implement this with something like an /etc/users.d directory 
that would be populated with entries by either the admin or package 
manager with CONFIG_PROTECT enabled. Then the system database would be 
updated by running something like "users-update" (cf. env-update). The 
essential problem that we need to work around is that e.g. /etc/passwd 
is "owned" by multiple system packages.

I think this would accomplish what you and Robin are talking about, but 
it wouldn't solve whissi's problem since it's still a Gentoo-specific 
solution.