linux.cf defaults for LinuxRedhat (was: Re: Disable xterm and XRX builds per default / [Fwd: CVS Update: xc (branch: trunk)]

[Mike A. Harris]

Egbert Eich wrote:
> Daniel Stone writes:
>  > > Other distributors either add their custom configuration to linux.cf
>  > > or supply it their custom configuration in a host.def file.
>  > 
>  > FWIW, I do the former.
>  > 
>  > > I personally would prefer to have a per-distributor configuration 
>  > > file which can easily be included when a certain distro is detected.
>  > 
>  > Sure, we have sections for this in linux.cf today.  But I think the entire
>  > concept of having this in the upstream tree is a bad one; much as I have avoided
>  > merging the debian/ tree for D-BUS upstream, likewise would I rather see all
>  > distro-specific configuration out of the upstream X.Org tree, since it doesn't
>  > belong there IMO.  Ho hum.
> 
> Yes, I fully argee with you here. That would be even better.
> However since the monolithic tree is approaching it's end of life
> it may not be worthwhile obtaining consensus on these changes 
> - unless each distro maintainer would delete the stuff for his
> product.

I actually liked the idea of having per distribution defaults, as it
is a natural extension of per-platform defaults.  Removing the per
distribution defaults kindof implies that all people rebuilding
Xorg will have a pre-prepared host.def for their specific
distribution and that a single default linux.cf file without
distribution specific configuration would be compatible on all
Linux platforms.  Both are unlikely IMHO.  ;o)

Having said that, the existing defaults for some of the linux
distributions covered by linux.cf is horrible.  ;o)  The LinuxRedHat
section is horribly inadequate for the most part, but that is mostly
because the previous X11 project that used to be shipped in Red Hat
OS releases, refused most of the patches that were submitted to
enhance the default LinuxRedHat section, so I basically just kept
customizing the Red Hat section via host.def (now named host-$arch.def
in Fedora Core an Red Hat Enterprise Linux) instead, as it was
less painful.  ;o)

I'd gladly whip up a patch for linux.cf to make the defaults for
LinuxRedHat more match what users expect if they don't have their
own host.def to start with and/or don't use our supplied one.

This brings forth a question:  Do non-Red Hat developers care much
about the defaults we would supply to linux.cf for the LinuxRedHat
section?  It would kindof be nice to flush a number of our host.def
et al. changes out of our rpm spec file, and into the linux.cf
file.  ;o)