[conspire] /etc, /etc/debian_version, /etc/motd, /etc/issue, Debian, ...

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Michael Paoli (Michael.Paoli at cal.berkeley.edu):

> And ... to further confuse(?) with additional facts ;-) ...
[...]

> >Anyway, _after_ you have checked /etc/issue and /etc/debian_version to
> >see what your system thinks it is, you should perhaps consider fixing
> 
> Well, sort of kind of.  Let's mostly knock the simpler and more
> authoritative out of the way first.

Michael, I certainly welcome your long exposition about the nature and
use of particular /etc contents -- but I just want to point out:

1.  You are not demurring from/contradicting anything I said.
2.  I never said avoid touching /etc contents in any general sense.
    I merely said /etc/issue and /etc/debian_version are 
    system-generated, such that altering them manually is not the
    way to administer the system.