KDE 4.2 requires local MySQL Server

[Rick Stevens]

Aldo Foot wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 4:59 PM, Arthur Pemberton <pemboa at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 6:22 PM, Aldo Foot <lunixer at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Tue, Feb 17, 2009 at 10:32 PM, Arthur Pemberton <pemboa at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I have yet to see what is so special about MySQL that makes having it
>>>> such a big issue.
>>> If anything at all: default accounts must be deleted or secured with passwords.
>> Ok, bare with me awhile, but ... why? Or are you securing against
>> users who turn off their firewall?

I think Aldo means "bear with me".  TOTALLY different connotation,
there, Aldo!  :-)

>> Because with a firewall up, an attacker would need to already have
>> access to the machine... in which case having passwords on MySQL is
>> useless.
>>
>> Installing mysql-server does not open your firewall.
> 
> So you're suggesting that because you have a firewall it's ok to
> have accounts without passwords? My sense of system security is
> very different from your own... so maybe it's ok with you.
> BTW - the accounts I was referring to are those created by mysql, which
> are different from the system accounts.
> And yes, I know how installs and firewall relate.

I think we're getting away from the point of this thread.  I believe
it started out with "Why should KDE require mysql?" and I think the OP
was sorta ticked off about dedicating N megabytes of disk space to a
package he doesn't want or need in order to have a desktop environment.

I tend to agree with that.  I don't use KDE myself and I don't know what
KDE needs a database for in the first place.  If KDE or whatever needs a 
database, it should check to see if an _existing_ database is installed
and use it.  If there's none installed, the package should install the
smallest, lightest one it can OR do the storage itself (flat files,
dbm, whatever).

There's a tremendous number of these "dependency" things now.  I can't
tell you how many times I've had to remove the stupid language packs
that Firefox keeps sticking on my machine every time there's an update.
I've complained.  "If the packs aren't installed now, WHY DO YOU INSIST
ON STUFFING THEM ON?!"  The way things are going now, we're catching the
"Redmond Bloat" disease.
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