Bug 218897

Summary:	/etc/skel is a directory with no functionality whatsoever
Product:	Base System	Reporter:	ASV <asv>
Component:	conf	Assignee:	freebsd-bugs (Nobody) <bugs>
Status:	Closed DUPLICATE
Severity:	Affects Some People	CC:	bapt, chris, emaste
Priority:	---
Version:	11.0-STABLE
Hardware:	Any
OS:	Any

Description ASV 2017-04-26 18:06:07 UTC

This may be a duplicate of Bug 46062. If so please close this and complete the other or vice versa.

As recently discussed in the email thread created by myself "/etc/skel doesn't work?!" (dated: Mon, 06 Mar 2017 12:25:22 -0300) on freebsd-questions, appears quite clear (as pointed out by Arthur Chance) that /etc/skel has been added by Jordan Hubbard on Feb 27th 1998 with the comment:

"MFC: /etc/skel doesn't seem to be used in the -current branch either,
but it doesn't hurt."

At present time /etc/skel has no functionality whatsoever, is a dead directory, a leftover dragged until now on the base system from an unclear intention dated almost 20 years back.

It causes confusion, is useless, I believe it is the right time to delete it.

Comment 1 Eitan Adler freebsd_committer

2017-12-31 07:19:31 UTC

I believe this is a duplicate of Bug 46062 which I just spent a little time looking into.(In reply to ASV from comment #0)

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 46062 ***

Comment 2 commit-hook freebsd_committer

2017-12-31 07:26:20 UTC

A commit references this bug:

Author: eadler
Date: Sun Dec 31 07:25:56 UTC 2017
New revision: 327421
URL: https://svnweb.freebsd.org/changeset/base/327421

Log:
  mtree: remove /etc/skel

  We use /usr/share/skel instead of /etc/skel. The existence of /etc/skel
  has confused people.

  PR:		46062 (submitted 2002-12-07)
  PR:		218897
  Submitted by:	carl@slackerbsd.org
  Submitted by:	asv@inhio.net

Changes:
  head/ObsoleteFiles.inc
  head/etc/mtree/BSD.root.dist