GNU bug report logs - #25699
GZIPs deprecated environment variable

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
To: bug-gzip <at> gnu.org
Subject: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2017 23:52:02 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hey!

As a sysadmin I want to decide about the default compression ratio 
myself. This is why I set up a system wide environment variable with 
GZIP=-9. Now it keeps tellig me that this is deprecated and will be 
removed. But there is no replacement for it. I think gzip is in 
desperate need of a global configuration file.

Sure, I can use an alias or script as suggested by gzip itself, but that 
will not be picked up by update scripts and such stuff, which build, for 
example, initial ramdisks, and come with the distribution. With 
deprecating the environment variable an important way of influencing 
gzip's behavior is taken from us.

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Message #8 received at 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
Cc: 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#25699: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2017 18:28:58 -0800

Bachsau wrote:
> I can use an alias or script as suggested by gzip itself, but that will
> not be picked up by update scripts and such stuff

Sure it will. Just rename /bin/gzip to /bin/gzip.real, and create a shell script 
/bin/gzip that looks like this:

#!/bin/sh
exec gzip.real -9 "$@"

You're the sysadmin, so you can do this. (And if you were not the sysadmin, you 
wouldn't be able to edit any global configuration file either.)

The GZIP environment variable leads to functionality and security problems, 
which is why it's being deprecated.

Message #11 received at 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
Cc: 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bug-gzip <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#25699: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2017 16:00:50 -0800

On 02/13/2017 03:48 PM, Bachsau wrote:
>
> Of course I can. Until my distributions package manager replaces that 
> file again with the next regular update.

The same thing could happen to any global configuration file, too. There 
is no functional difference between a configuration file and a shell 
wrapper. If your distributions package manager lets you edit one, you 
can edit the other. If not, not.

Message #17 received at 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bug-gzip <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#25699: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:48:55 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Am 13.02.2017 um 03:28 schrieb Paul Eggert:
> Sure it will. Just rename /bin/gzip to /bin/gzip.real, and create a
> shell script /bin/gzip that looks like this:
>
> #!/bin/sh
> exec gzip.real -9 "$@"
>
> You're the sysadmin, so you can do this. (And if you were not the
> sysadmin, you
> wouldn't be able to edit any global configuration file either.)

Of course I can. Until my distributions package manager replaces that 
file again with the next regular update. You should know it is almost 
always a bad idea to edit any files in /bin /sbin and /usr/*. The only 
solution to this might be to place a script like this in /usr/local/bin, 
that will only work if the script thats calling it is using the right 
$PATH and does not refer directly to /bin/gzip.

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Message #20 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
To: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
Cc: 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bug-gzip <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#25699: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 20:17:08 +0100

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Am 14.02.2017 um 01:00 schrieb Paul Eggert:
> The same thing could happen to any global configuration file, too. There
> is no functional difference between a configuration file and a shell
> wrapper.

This is not true. Every package manager I know has special routines for 
handling configuration files and configuration file changes. Either by 
just saving new configuration files aside (pacman) or by diffing and 
integrating changes on request (apt/dpkg).

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Message #26 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Paul Eggert <eggert <at> cs.ucla.edu>
To: Bachsau <web <at> bachsau.name>
Cc: 25699 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, bug-gzip <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#25699: GZIPs deprecated environment variable
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2017 12:09:19 -0800

On 02/22/2017 11:17 AM, Bachsau wrote:
> Every package manager I know has special routines for handling 
> configuration files and configuration file changes.

Fine, then call the wrapper shell script a "configuration file". Or have 
the wrapper shell script source a "configuration file" that contains the 
settings that you want. Code is just another form of data, after all.

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