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Re: RPM (Was Re: Deity project schedule problems)



Mark Eichin <eichin@cygnus.com> writes:

> > OTOH, the package format is more cryptic than debs, and less powerful, 
> > and that is the main problem involved. If we switch to RPM, we loss
> > some power and a lot of time (it's a hard work to go there), to be 
> > able to use their tools (no point in doing a better RPM if others won't 
> > adopt it) but, do we gain that much using those tools, that can not be 
> > easily added to our current ones?

> Like I've mentioned, there is mechanism for adding new features
> through the RPM Foundation.  It will cost time to convert; other than
> conflicts/replaces, I haven't actually found any missing *features* of
> the "protocol" (the format is, after all, under the abstraction of the
> program, just like .deb format is...)  I'd like to hear about it, if
> anyone else can name some, just to get an idea of how much work it
> would *actually* be.  Adding these kinds of features seems to be the
> point of the RPM Foundation, though -- so others *can* use these
> new features eventually.

Also, flexibility-wise, most of the functionality of rpm is in
librpm.a, which has an easy to use API; with it you can _easily_ build
installation programs and package management tools that handle
dependencies, etc.  (Looking at the source of RedHat's "install"
program, it looks very easy to use this library.)

Another nice feature is that package installation (post install
scripts) is non-interactive, making it possible to use the package
system for large sites.

Performance wise, startup time and database queries are much faster.
I try to avoid invoking "dpkg" as much as possible because of the
annoying startup time (P75); at work I use "rpm" all the time to do
file->package queries, file list queries, and package info
queries. (Another P75 and a SS20.)

Frankly, I'd like to be able to use an RPM based distribution, but I
want one the quality of Debian's (which is what makes me hesitate
about switching to RedHat).  I feel that dpkg strays too far from the
old KISS adage (Keep It Simple Stupid).  

But whatever the majority of the Developers want to do, they can
do. Different people have different needs.


Steve
dunham@cps.msu.edu


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