[Dnsmasq-discuss] systemd service improvements

[Kurt H Maier]

On Thu, Jun 30, 2016 at 05:19:54PM -0400, Craig Andrews wrote:
> I have no argument against only installing the systemd unit if a 
> configure flag is specified. Many pieces of software do it that way - I 
> think the important thing is that it's available from dnsmasq. So I 
> rescind my thought to install it unconditionally.

What would the configure flag be passed to?

It would take more lines of code to modify the build process to suit
this than it would just to write the unit file, and then you'd still
have to rewrite the unit file for each distro.

The traditional allocation of init responsibilities has always been such
as to free the upstream developer from the administrative minutiae by
devolving the systems management functions to those whose experience and
daily operations have better formed them for the performance of such
maintenance takss, thereby releasing the upstream developers for the
more task-specific duties and deliberations.

In short, I still think a generic unit file in /contrib is best, and
people who want to use it will be okay if they have to copy it where
their OS wants it.  dnsmasq runs in a lot of places systemd doesn't, so
systemd is not to be taken as given.

khm