Re: Apt-get for users
Thomas Petazzoni <thomas.petazzoni@enix.org> wrote:
> My idea is to allow the user to use the packaging system.
As a counter example, your systems administrators are responsible for
deciding which software is safe to install on the system. It may be
much easy for a user to install pre-packaged binary, but how difficult
is it to send an email root@host.domain.tld?
Before you begin the trek to customize dpkg, ask yourself the importance
for such a feature and address the difficulties.
* Some binaries are compiled with hard-coded paths for
configuration files.
- You would need to patch these applications to accept a
commandline option to specify where to find the config file
or override this.
- You could come up with an install-time configuration for
interpreted language-based programs.
* Some applications require /proc or /dev access. Are these
appropriate for a user to install? How do you automate these type
of system policies.
* Some software installs with setuid/setgid permissions. How do you
override these?
* Debian packages use a very simple process to set the ownership to
files at build-time. How do you override these permissions at
install-time?
There are a lot of issues to deal with. The flexibility you propose is
an interesting concept. Perhaps you could subscribe to the dpkg
developers' list and discuss this topic with them.
Good luck.
--
Chad Walstrom <chewie@wookimus.net> http://www.wookimus.net/
assert(expired(knowledge)); /* core dump */
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