Adduser devel - Apr 2006 - Bug#364170: Fix for documentation of adduser --system

Package: adduser
Version: 3.63
Severity: minor

"If an user with an uid in the system range (or if the uid 
is specified, with that) does already exist, adduser will exit with a
warning."

This is unclear and slightly bad English. How about:

"If a user with the same name already exists in the system uid range
(or, if the uid is specified, if a user with that uid already exists),
adduser will exit with a warning."

There are two points here:

1. "a uid", not "an uid".

2. The original sentence implies that adduser stops if there''s *any*
user in the system range, not just one with the same name.

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.4.27-2-k7
Locale: LANG=en_GB, LC_CTYPE=en_GB (charmap=ISO-8859-1)

Versions of packages adduser depends on:
ii  debconf                 1.4.30.13        Debian configuration management sy
ii  passwd                  1:4.0.3-31sarge5 change and administer password and
ii  perl-base               5.8.4-8sarge4    The Pathologically Eclectic Rubbis

-- debconf information:
* adduser/homedir-permission: true

This one time, at band camp, Reuben Thomas said:
> "If an user with an uid in the system range (or if the uid 
> is specified, with that) does already exist, adduser will exit with a
warning."
> 
> This is unclear and slightly bad English. How about:
> 
> "If a user with the same name already exists in the system uid range
> (or, if the uid is specified, if a user with that uid already exists),
> adduser will exit with a warning."
> 
> There are two points here:
> 
> 1. "a uid", not "an uid".
This is actually region dependant, and so not technically incorrect. 
The problem is with treating the ''y'' sound at the beginning of
''you-eye-dee'' as a vowel or not, and the rule isn''t
clear.
-- 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
|   ,''''`.                                            Stephen
Gran |
|  : :'' :                                        sgran@debian.org |
|  `. `''                        Debian user, admin, and developer |
|    `-                                     http://www.debian.org |
 -----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
Url :
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/adduser-devel/attachments/20060422/1a27464e/attachment.pgp

tags #364170 confirmed pending
thanks

On Fri, Apr 21, 2006 at 07:57:48PM +0100, Reuben Thomas
wrote:
> "If a user with the same name already exists in the system uid range
> (or, if the uid is specified, if a user with that uid already exists),
> adduser will exit with a warning."
Applied in svn, thanks.

Greetings
Marc

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marc Haber         | "I don''t trust Computers. They | Mailadresse
im Header
Mannheim, Germany  |  lose things."    Winona Ryder | Fon: *49 621 72739834
Nordisch by Nature |  How to make an American Quilt | Fax: *49 621 72739835

Processing commands for control@bugs.debian.org:
> tags #364170 confirmed pending
Bug#364170: Fix for documentation of adduser --system
There were no tags set.
Tags added: confirmed, pending
> thanks
Stopping processing here.

Please contact me if you need assistance.

Debian bug tracking system administrator
(administrator, Debian Bugs database)

Your message dated Wed, 26 Apr 2006 07:17:08 -0700
with message-id <E1FYkpI-0005jl-OK@spohr.debian.org>
and subject line Bug#364170: fixed in adduser 3.87
has caused the attached Bug report to be marked as done.

This means that you claim that the problem has been dealt with.
If this is not the case it is now your responsibility to reopen the
Bug report if necessary, and/or fix the problem forthwith.

(NB: If you are a system administrator and have no idea what I am
talking about this indicates a serious mail system misconfiguration
somewhere.  Please contact me immediately.)

Debian bug tracking system administrator
(administrator, Debian Bugs database)

-------------- next part --------------
An embedded message was scrubbed...
From: Reuben Thomas <rrt@sc3d.org>
Subject: Fix for documentation of adduser --system
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 19:57:48 +0100
Size: 2714
Url:
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/adduser-devel/attachments/20060426/502aa8ea/attachment.mht
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded message was scrubbed...
From: Marc Haber <mh+debian-packages@zugschlus.de>
Subject: Bug#364170: fixed in adduser 3.87
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 07:17:08 -0700
Size: 3492
Url:
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/adduser-devel/attachments/20060426/502aa8ea/attachment-0001.mht