Re: busybox in main
Glenn McGrath <bug1@optushome.com.au> writes:
> I would like to see the busybox package in the main debian archive.
> Busxybox is a multicall binary that is targeted at embedded systems, it
> is the basis of the debian installer.
Me too. I realy need it for my demofs and stealing it out of the
boot-floppies sources or duplicating its source in my package is
stupid and ugly.
> A busybox package was previously rejected because it was uninstable on
> an existing system. This was because busybox would break packages in
> base due to the many links it created (e.g. symlink from //bin/ls to
> busybox binary). Infact due to conflicting dependencies it wouldnt have
> been installable without being forced.
>
> The proposed solution was to create a seperate area in the debian
> archive for installer specific packages and put it in there, for
> whatever reason this hasnt happened, but i dont think the busybox
> package should be hidden away anyway.
Why not make a perfectly normal package and a spezial script that will
dump the neccesities into a directory (for the boot-floppies package
and my demo-fs) and maybe a downsized package living in
disks-<arch>/<something> (for the new installer scheme floating around)?
> busybox doesnt actually need symlinks to provide functionality, it can
> be used by calling busybox with the command as the argument, e.g.
> busybox ls -al.
>
> busybox isnt only usefull for debian in the installer, it could be a
> handy emergency utility to have hanging around on an installed system.
>
> If the busybox package was setup so that it only installed the busybox
> binary then it wouldnt cause any problems and it would make it more
> accessable to both end users and the installer.
A policy compliant package would be fine for this and for building the
bootfloppies or rescuedisks or a demo-fs you could provide a little
script that installs the binary and (if wanted) hard/soft-links to a
given directory or a script that cleansup unneccessary stuff after
installation.
May the Source be with you.
Goswin
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