I'm building Debian packages for slony1, and I'm a bit confused about 
the installation layout.  It seems that Slony jumps through 
considerable hoops to make its installation layout match the PostgreSQL 
installation.  This screws me up in multiple ways, and I could not 
identify any technical reason for it.

I find it particularly strange that the configure script insists on 
finding postgresql.conf.sample in the installation directory.  The 
PostgreSQL "share" directory is a private package directory and it goes 
against all file system standards to write files into another package's 
private installation directories.

The exception that I grant is that installing the shared objects into 
the PostgreSQL libdir is reasonable and desirable.  For the bindir 
(slon, slonik) and the SQL files, however, you should use the standard 
installation prefixes and be done with it.

Now if you like the current system so much that you don't want to get 
rid of it, please at least do the following:

- Accept the standard directory options (--prefix, --bindir, --datadir) 
as a final override of the installation paths.

- Get rid of the postgresql.conf.sample check.  No one needs that file 
and if pg_config or the user tells you a directory, then just take it.

Thanks for considering.