compinit -U in /etc/zsh/zshrc is unfriendly to fpath users

The completion system is one of the premiere features of zsh, and we would like
to have it enabled by default for new users. If you know of a way to support
this use case, without interfering with configurations such as yours, I see no
problem adapting it.

Oh, yes. Of course. It's been so long since I switched that I forgot
completion wasn't enabled by default without a compinit call.

Would you consider accepting something like the following:

# If you don't want compinit called here, place the line
# ubuntu_skip_compinit=1
# in your .zshenv
if [[ "$ubuntu_skip_compinit" = "" ]]; then
  autoload -U compinit
  compinit
fi

I'll gladly submit a patch against the breezy version of the source package if
you'd like.

The way to have fancy shell behaviour enabled for new users is to put
fancy configuration files in /etc/skel. That way they go into new
users' home directories and can be modified if the user is sufficiently
sophisticated.

/etc/profile, /etc/zsh/zshrc, and other files of that ilk should almost
always be empty or non-existent. You have to remember that they're not
merely defaults: they apply to *everyone*. Don't use them.

This bug was fixed in the package zsh - 4.3.6-2ubuntu1

---------------
zsh (4.3.6-2ubuntu1) intrepid; urgency=low

  * Merge from debian unstable, remaining changes:
    - Makefile.in: Disable rule which runs autoconf;
                   we don't want it to run during the build.
    - debian/zshenv: Stop setting PATH, depend on new and shiny libpam-modules
                     which sets PATH for us.
    - debian/zshrc: Enable completions by default.
    - Change the maintainer address.
  * remove the patch from debian/zshenv. It does only act if $PATH is
    empty or likely to be unconfigured. If a local administrator really
    wants PATH to default to "/bin:/usr/bin", he can be expected to modify
    /etc/zshenv.
  * debian/zshrc: Enable to local user to prevent enabling completions by
    the global /etc/zshrc by setting the variable "skip_global_compinit=1"
    in his ~/.zshenv. Patch based on proposal by Jay Berkenbilt. LP: #16759

zsh (4.3.6-2) unstable; urgency=medium

  * Complete .spx files after ogg123, thanks to Markus Waldeck. closes:
    #474744.
  * Call configure with --enable-readnullcmd=pager (for when this
    becomes
  * Hardcode default readnullcmd to "pager" instead of "more". closes:
    #477722.

zsh (4.3.6-1) unstable; urgency=medium

  * New upstream version.
  * Unconditionally add zsh and zsh-static to /etc/shells in postinst,
    to ensure smooth transition to lenny+1. closes: #473652.

zsh (4.3.5-8) unstable; urgency=low

  * Avoid removal/readdition of shells in /etc/shells on package
    upgrades, in order to preserve local changes.
    closes: #473199, #473200.
  * Switch build dependency to libcap2-dev.

zsh (4.3.5-7) unstable; urgency=medium

  * Complete packages for aptitude why and why-not. closes: #472193.
  * Make git completion cope with user configs setting colors to
    "always". closes: #469588.
  * Move doc-base section to 'Shells' in accordance with doc-base 0.8.10
    policy.
  * Add PDF format to the doc-base control file.

zsh (4.3.5-6) unstable; urgency=low

  * Completion for calendar.
  * Update git completion (bisect skip and run, copying with the
    situation wherein git is an alias to a wrapper).

zsh (4.3.5-5) unstable; urgency=medium

  * Fix completion of rsync -e ssh remote pathnames containing spaces.
    closes: #468654.

zsh (4.3.5-4) unstable; urgency=low

  * ZW#24611: fix ${+array[...]} with empty range matches.
    closes: #466655.

zsh (4.3.5-3) unstable; urgency=medium

  * ZU#12632: fix bug unexporting special parameter after
    "SPECIAL=stuff funccall". closes: #317773.
  * Drop --print-gnu-build-architecture from dpkg completion.
    closes: #466904.
  * Patch documentation to reflect that global rc files are
    in /etc/zsh. closes: #466596.
  * Add Vcs-Git and Vcs-Browser control headers.

zsh (4.3.5-2) unstable; urgency=low

  * Add Homepage control field.
  * Apply patches from A Costa to fix documentation typos.
    closes: #463613, #463614, #463615, #463616, #463617, #463619,
    #463620, #463621, #463622.
  * Drop debconf-related dependencies and all vestiges of the
    debconf note. closes: #463916.
  * Remove conffile movement code from postinst.

zsh ...