In FreeBSD in order to update the locate database you have to use:
/usr/libexec/locate.updatedb
Yes, that is so much easier than say typing..
updatedb
The full path makes it all the more better. (sarcasm)
And people wonder why linux is more popular than FreeBSD. That's a tough one. It's just convenience that causes people to utilize an OS.
One could argue that REAL MEN are not looking for updatedb knobs..
So why do real men use knobs like 'cp' and 'mv'? Why don't real men write their own functions in C them selves, or Perl.. and hide them in /usr/libexec/commands/
Okay, one advantage is that you are not tempted to hit the updatedb command as often.. which can extend security, possibly. But, the same argument could be used for the 'cp' and 'rm' commands.
The 'rm' command is very very dangerous.. so why make it easy to use? Of course, we are consenting adults.. right? So assuming we are consenting adults.. we must be okay to have updatedb available to us.. too.. right? Without the need to specify the full path?
Where does one draw the line... ahhh... tough one.
Everything is a wrapper.. cp is a wrapper around some copy function. Updatedb is a wrapper. Symlinks? Again.. just wrappers.. Where do we draw the line? Put the rm, mv, and cp commands in a hidden place to discourage people from deleting and moving files?
I happen to use Updatedb quite often, because I'm looking for files more often than once a week.. so.. I don't know, I can't see it being a security issue if I'm going to constantly be updating the db myself anyway.
The solution is to fix the operating system yourself and make your own knob... But if the operating system lacks useful knobs out of the box, the question is are people going to use it (Convenience-Theory)? Would a stereo in your car be useful without any volume knob? We have to draw the line at some point.
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