Configurable files and functions

On Fri, 2 Mar 2007 12:33:11 -0600
"Dave Walker" wrote:

> I am looking for an explanatory list of configuration files used
> in sarge 3.1. The information I am looking for would give the
> location (path), function (what the system uses it for), and
> whether the file can be successfully changed by editing.
>
> Does such a list exist?
>
> I have in mind such files as .bashrc and .bash_profile and I am
> sure there are many others that I will encounter.
>
> Is it time for me to buy a reference book containing this info? If
> so, which one? I do plan to upgrade to Etch as soon as it is the
> stable release, so if a book is available for sarge, would it be
> useful for etch?
>
>
> Thanks all
> Dave W.
>

Dave,

I'm not sure that such a list exists or could even exist. The
configuration files depend upon which packages you have installed so
it would be a different list for each machine.

--
Raquel
============================================================
The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is
the first and only legitimate object of good government.
--Thomas Jefferson

--

On Fri, 2007-03-02 at 12:33 -0600, Dave Walker wrote:
> I am looking for an explanatory list of configuration files used in
> sarge 3.1. The information I am looking for would give the location
> (path), function (what the system uses it for), and whether the file
> can be successfully changed by editing.

Not really a list, but most configuration files have (or should have)
man pages. For example, "man 5 issue", most of them are also commented
to explain options and what can be edited.

From this I guess you could write a script that compiles configuration
files and their path with the documentation.

--
Cheers,
Sven Arvidsson
http://www.whiz.se
PGP Key ID 760BDD22

On Fri, 2007-03-02 at 12:33 -0600, Dave Walker wrote:
> I am looking for an explanatory list of configuration files used in
> sarge 3.1. The information I am looking for would give the location
> (path), function (what the system uses it for), and whether the file
> can be successfully changed by editing.
>
> Does such a list exist?
>
> I have in mind such files as .bashrc and .bash_profile and I am sure
> there are many others that I will encounter.
>
> Is it time for me to buy a reference book containing this info? If so,
> which one? I do plan to upgrade to Etch as soon as it is the stable
> release, so if a book is available for sarge, would it be useful for
> etch?

There's no comprehensive list of configuration files because there are
17,000 packages available for Debian, many of which have their own
configurations, some of which over-ride others in certain cases. No one
person is going to use or need to know about configurations for software
he's never going to install.

If you want a solid, comprehensive reference for common, standard
commands and configurations, check out "Unix in a Nutshell, Fourth
Edition" by Arnold Robbins (O'Reilly). It's not Debian-specific, but
has a lot of information useful for anyone running Unix variants
including Linux. It has chapters on the various shells and their
specific features, overviews of package management (apt, rpm, Mac OS X,
etc.), usage summaries of vim & emacs, sed & awk, and a handy
alphabetical summary of commands for GNU/Linux, Solaris, OS X, and Java.
And more.

Another very useful book for learning the basics is "A Practical Guide
to Linux Commands, Editors, and Shell Programming" by Mark G. Sobel
(Prentice Hall), which is more of a tutorial-based type book than a
reference work. But it does have a great glossary and a command
reference, which provides a detailed overview of utilities sorted by
function ("Utilities That Display & Manipulate Files," "Network
Utilities," etc.). It gives arguments, options and usage examples for
each of these. That's in addition to more in-depth coverage of shells,
editors, and shell programming functions.

Finally, "The Debian System: Concepts & Techniques" by Martin F. Krafft
(Open Source Press/No Starch Press) is an excellent overview of how
Debian works. Yes, some of it is a little dated at this point, but
Krafft includes some information about features new to Etch even though
it was published after Sarge's release, and for most of the material,
not much has changed. Since it really does focus on "concepts" and
"techniques" rather than, say, how to configure XF86 (which has been
replaced by xorg in Etch), most of what he explains carries over to Etch
and beyond. It's really a "here's how Debian does things" kind of book
and will provide all but the most advanced/experienced users with a
solid understanding of Debian fundamentals.

IMO, either the first or second book, plus the third, will teach you a
great deal about Unix/Linux in general and Debian specifically, so that
you won't miss not having a comprehensive list of config files. You'll
know where to look for them and how to configure them if you spend time
with these books. You'll certainly learn all about .bashrc
& .bash_profile, and much more.

A really nice feature for the newbie documentation project many have
been discussing on this list would be "essential Debian bookshelf"
recommendations.

--
Michael M. ++ Portland, OR ++ USA
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions
of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to
dream." --S. Jackson

--

On Fri, Mar 02, 2007 at 12:33:11PM -0600, Dave Walker wrote:
> [...]
> Does such a list exist?
>
> I have in mind such files as .bashrc and .bash_profile and I am sure
> there are many others that I will encounter.
>
> Is it time for me to buy a reference book containing this info? If so,
> which one? I do plan to upgrade to Etch as soon as it is the stable
> release, so if a book is available for sarge, would it be useful for
> etch?
>

Most of the configuration files are generally found in ~/.$PROGrc.

So Mutt is:
~/.muttrc
And Vim is:
~/.vimrv

At least from my experience most programs have "dot-rc" files.

--

On Fri, Mar 02, 2007 at 12:33:11PM -0600, Dave Walker wrote:
> I am looking for an explanatory list of configuration files used in
> sarge 3.1. The information I am looking for would give the location
> (path), function (what the system uses it for), and whether the file
> can be successfully changed by editing.

A configuration file, by its very nature, means that it can be edited,
although you would need to be root to edit "system wide" configuration
files.

> Does such a list exist?

I don't know. I'm guessing no because, unfortunately, documentation is
usually one of the last things to be done in a volunteer project and
normally done to "scratch an itch" or to conform with policy.

*Almost* every app has a .rc (runtime configuration) file which may have
numerous options and so providing a list like you suggest seems like a
waste of time considering it would need to be updated etc. Think "Would
*I* keep the list updated once I knew what they were?"

> I have in mind such files as .bashrc and .bash_profile and I am sure
> there are many others that I will encounter.

Yep, heaps.
e.g.
---------------------------------------
File | purpose
---------------------------------------
.inputrc | Customises readline

I have in my personal .inputrc:
set bell-style none

Which turns off the beeping when tab completing on the command line. :-)

man readline for further info. Note that a .inputrc is not created in
your home directory when you install readline-common. You have to create
it yourself.

> Is it time for me to buy a reference book containing this info? If so,
> which one? I do plan to upgrade to Etch as soon as it is the stable
> release, so if a book is available for sarge, would it be useful for
> etch?

Umm no, because it will soon become outdated. Its easier to

* archive interesting posts
* take note of interesting urls (I have just created a database
in postgreSQL because my list of urls was becoming long and
unweildly.
* search on google for relevant material as needed.
For starters I'd recommend "rute book" and "Debian Survival
Guide" as search terms.

--
Chris.
======
Don't forget to check that your /etc/apt/sources.lst entries point to
etch and not testing, otherwise you may end up with a broken system once
etch goes stable.

--