nvm should create etc/ directory for installations

[smikes]

Noticed with 0.23.2, io.js 1.0.4 ; when I try to run npm config edit --global npm tries to spawn vim on ${NVM_PATH}/../../etc/npmrc ; but since the etc subdirectory of v1.0.4 does not exists, npm writes an unpleasant error message:

$ npm config edit --global
npm ERR! Darwin 14.1.0
npm ERR! argv "node" "/Users/smikes/.nvm/versions/io.js/v1.0.4/bin/npm" "config" "edit" "--global"
npm ERR! node v1.0.4
npm ERR! npm  v2.3.0
npm ERR! path /Users/smikes/.nvm/versions/io.js/v1.0.4/etc/npmrc.c33db61dc6e13a89a2ab11f8f1793b9e
npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! errno -2

npm ERR! enoent ENOENT, open '/Users/smikes/.nvm/versions/io.js/v1.0.4/etc/npmrc.c33db61dc6e13a89a2ab11f8f1793b9e'
npm ERR! enoent This is most likely not a problem with npm itself
npm ERR! enoent and is related to npm not being able to find a file.
npm ERR! enoent 

npm ERR! Please include the following file with any support request:
npm ERR!     /Users/smikes/src/github/npm-kludge-search/npm-debug.log

See issue npm/npm#7233 (for improving the npm error message); this case requests that the etc/ directory be created on install.

[ljharb]

Related to #606.

I see no problem with nvm mkdir -ping that directory, but I don't understand why npm isn't doing that itself. Or is that something that the node/iojs installer is supposed to be doing?

[smikes]

I would put this on the installer. In general I expect that if <path>/bin/node exists and <path>/lib exists that it's reasonable that <path>/etc also should exist; that feels like a Unix convention even if it's not in any standard.

However, if npm creates the lib directory then I would be convinced the other day. I think npm expects the bin lib and etc directories to already exist when it installs a global package. (Possibly man too...)

[ljharb]

nvm does nothing except run the node/iojs installer - so I think it's a combo issue:

1. the node/iojs installer may need to create the etc dir
2. npm should absolutely create the dir it needs when attempting to edit a config file

I'm not convinced it's a good idea to add && mkdir -p "$(nvm_version_path "$(nvm current)")/etc" to the install (or perhaps use) code path. While it would solve your issue for nvm, I'm not sure it's the right place to solve it.

Thoughts?

[smikes]

I agree with your points above. nvm does have the best leverage to address this bug across both io.js/node and across various npm versions, but it really isn't in any way an nvm bug.

[ljharb]

Fixed with npm/npm#7249