[lsb-discuss] request that a command be added to LSB Commands andUtilities

[Wichmann, Mats D]

> I'm sure that we all have stories of problems that we have
> encountered. Most of you probably have even more of them than I do.

...

> On one distro ("1"), the "mkinitrd" command syntax is:
> 
> mkinitrd [-option arg]
> 
> On another distro ("2"), the "mkinitrd" command syntax is:
> 
> mkinitrd [-option [arg]] [--longopt[=prm]] <initrd-image>
> <kernel-version> 
> 
> 
> so (a) the argument lists are incompatible and
> (b) one of them requires the initrd-image name with "-i
> initrd-img-name" and the other doesn't want an -option nor a
> --longopt for the <initrd-image> filename. 
> 
> 
> It would be wonderful if this muckup didn't exist.
> 
> Can LSB help?  or does this fall into the "LSB codifies existing
> use patterns" case and there is no dominant use pattern here?

I don't know if LSB can help.  I sympathize; I've been bitten
by the distro-1 style, which is a real pain in the (bleep)
when you need to make an initrd for the kernel you're about
to boot, and thus not the one you're running.  Isn't this
the normal case anyway?  yet I've had a system where that's
very hard to do....

You could certainly try proposing a common syntax, and
if people think it's a good idea we can certainly find
someplace to publish it even if it's not the somewhat
application-oriented "LSB Specification"...