bug#52539: Fwd: Comments in /etc/passwd don't get updated

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi,

Jacob First <jacob.first@member.fsf.org> skribis:

> After I apply this configuration with `guix system reconfigure', I
> expect /etc/passwd to have been updated with "New Comment" in place of
> "Old Comment". However, "Old Comment" remains.

This is on purpose, per these lines in ‘allocate-passwd’ in (gnu build
accounts):

           (real-name (if previous
                          (password-entry-real-name previous)
                          real-name))

This wasn’t a firm decision, but I think the rationale here could be
that we’d rather allow users to change their name with ‘chfn’ to
something other than what the sysadmin chose, than enforce the
sysadmin’s choice.  (Except that ‘chfn’ is currently not setuid by
default on Guix System, so the scenario above is unlikely.)

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Ludo’.