Re: [gentoo-dev] making %95 of users happy

[Stefan Boresch <stefan@mdy.univie.ac.at>]

Please look to the end of this mail why I am cross-posting to
gentoo-security.

On Fri, Apr 19, 2002 at 04:29:52AM +1000, Todd Wright wrote:
> 
> And to the person (Andrew I think) who quoted the following from the gentoo site as a reason for not having release branches...
> 
> "*Portage allows you to set up Gentoo Linux the way you like it*..."
> 
> It doesnt. Just when I get it how I like it, it changes.

Great line -- I was going to write a lengthy reply to Andrew's mail,
but you put it in one line exactly. (And nailing with =< in
/var/cache/edb/world, while a great step in the right direction, isn't
sufficient; I totally agree!)

Here is my suggestion/wish:

Could one not create an --update security target to emerge.  This would
always do --update system, plus check for any updates of installed
packages (probably without consulting the edb/world file, or rather
counterchecking against it (*)) that are "earmarked" security relevant.
If such a beast existed, I could put a cron job calling 
emerge --update security -buildpkg
on my test machine, check every morning and distribute the binaries
to my network of 20+ workstations after quick tests that nothing serious
has been broken.

This target would give me the best of both worlds: Live on the
bleeding edge for my personal machine(s) [ which double as test
machines] and have something similar to a frozen major distribution
for the network where my boss, my students and collaborators try
to get their work done.

Oh, and I am happy to try contribute to following security alerts
and things like that.   Unfortunately, I haven't the least clue about
python, so I don't feel comfortable about writing --update security
myself.

Stefan

(*) If a user has nailed a package which has a potential
vulnerability, then the --update security target should yell
at him, but leave the responsibility with the administrator. That
would strike me as good Gentoo philosophy, doesn't it?

-- 
Stefan Boresch
Institute for Theoretical Chemistry and Structural Molecular Biology
University of Vienna, Waehringerstr. 17       A-1090 Vienna, Austria
Phone: -43-1-427752715                        Fax:   -43-1-427752790