Re: Package management

[Stefan Urbanek]

Hi,

On 2004-03-07 13:55:28 +0100 Dennis Leeuw <dleeuw@made-it.com> wrote:

> Uli Kusterer wrote:
> > > Of course, if there is a solution for package management, we should reuse 
> > > it. In adition we have to move further.

> >    have you had a look at Fink and their program "Fink Commander" ?
> >       <http://fink.sf.net>
> > IIRC Fink Commander is written in Cocoa, and would thus probably be a good 
> > basis for a port to GNUstep. It uses an existing package format but adds 
> > some stuff on top of that.
> >
> >    For those who aren't familiar, Fink provides an easy means to install a 
> > huge number of ported packages on Darwin/MacOS X, resolving dependencies 
> > and all that jazz.
> >
> >    It's simply a package manager, and not really as intuitive to use for an 
> > installer for end-users, but it might be a good starting point.
>
> If we are looking into package managers, I would also like to suggest 
> autopackage: http://autopackage.org/
> Still very beta, and GNU/Linux only but the ideas are sound.

That's fine, so far we have learned many of package management systems. Now we 
have just to agree on one, that is portable.

Anyway, the main idea behind my first post was not package management system, 
but how packages are packaged and what they contain. So, if GNUstep picks this 
or that package manager it is ok as far as it uses larger package granularity.

Besides technical things in package management, it should take into account 
'cosmetic' part of it. This is important for ordinary end users as they usualy 
do not want (and they are not going to learn) all those cryptic package names, 
version, dependencies stuff or other things. To sum up package management from 
user's point of view:

- use larger packages containing whole parts/suites of the GNUstep 
system/environment
- use descriptive names with nothing but simple version attached 
(System-1.0.deb, Developer-1.2.rpm)
- minimalise dependencies
- (what else?)

It's for GNUstep users, developers can use sources and customise their system 
(Virtual/Faked packages? ... shuold be, but it is going to be more complicated 
than necessary).

Keep it simple and easy to use,

Stefan