Re: [PATCH] Prefer getenv("HOME") to find the UNIX home directory

Christoph Moench-Tegeder <cmt(at)burggraben(dot)net> writes:
> ## Tom Lane (tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us):
>> Given the POSIX requirements, it's basically impossible to believe
>> that there are interesting cases where $HOME isn't set.

> When I look at a random Debian with the usual PGDG packages, the
> postmaster process (and every backend) has a rather minimal environment
> without HOME. When I remember the code correctly, walreceiver uses
> the functions from fe-connect.c and may need to find the service file,
> a password file or certificates. If I'm correct with that, requiring
> HOME to be set would be a significant change for existing "normal"
> installations.
> What about containers and similar "reduced" environments?

Isn't that a flat out violation of POSIX 8.3 Other Environment Variables?

HOME
The system shall initialize this variable at the time of login to
be a pathname of the user's home directory. See <pwd.h>.

To claim it's not, you have to claim these programs aren't logged in,
in which case where did they get any privileges from?

regards, tom lane