[BUG] inconsistency in $localstatedir and $runstatedir

[Alejandro Colomar]

See the following entries in 16.5 Variables for Installation Directories 
from the GNU coding standards:

[[

‘localstatedir’

    The directory for installing data files which the programs modify 
while they run, and that pertain to one specific machine. Users should 
never need to modify files in this directory to configure the package’s 
operation; put such configuration information in separate files that go 
in $(datadir) or $(sysconfdir). $(localstatedir) should normally be 
*/usr/local/var*, but write it as *$(prefix)/var*. (If you are using 
Autoconf, write it as ‘@localstatedir@’.)

‘runstatedir’

    The directory for installing data files which the programs modify 
while they run, that pertain to one specific machine, and which need not 
persist longer than the execution of the program—which is generally 
long-lived, for example, until the next reboot. PID files for system 
daemons are a typical use. In addition, this directory should not be 
cleaned except perhaps at reboot, while the general /tmp (TMPDIR) may be 
cleaned arbitrarily. This should normally be */var/run*, but write it as 
*$(localstatedir)/run*. Having it as a separate variable allows the use 
of /run if desired, for example. (If you are using Autoconf 2.70 or 
later, write it as ‘@runstatedir@’.)

]]

How can $localstatedir be $prefix/var and at the same time $runstatedir 
be /var/run (notice no prefix) if it is defined as $localstatedir/run.

Since the FHS doesn't define /usr/local/var, and my Debian system lacks 
it, and I don't think people are going to start symlinking 
/usr/local/var to /var, I guess the coding standard really intended to 
define $localstatedir as /var.

The bug is also present in the GNU Make documentation, which seems to be 
just a copy of the GNU coding standards.

Cheers,

Alex

Link: 
<https://www.gnu.org/prep/standards/html_node/Directory-Variables.html>
Link: 
<https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Directory-Variables.html>

--
Alejandro Colomar
<http://www.alejandro-colomar.es/>

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