Re: How a packaging system works
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@datasync.com> writes:
> David> Would it be possible to have a packaging system that was a big set of
> David> rules about where to put things and how to compile things. So if for
> David> example I want to compile enlightenment, I download the e.tar.gz file
> This is trivial, if the stuff maintained by a maintainer
> already exists (and assuming things haven't changed since the
> maintainer created the set of rules and all).
>
> It would be a 5 line shell script ;-)
>
> What you are looking for is encapsulated in the way Debian
> does source packages. We store a .tar.gz file, and a diff.gxz file,
> and a .dsc file that basically has the names and MD5sums of the
> tar.gz file and diff.gz file.
Ok well if this is the case. I think that great, and a big "selling
point" for debian. The thing is I didn't understand it and I bet there are
many others who don't either.
So this in effect means I can, download source from the author, then
easily check for a diff and dsc file, rename the tar file
program.tar.gz.orig and away I go?
That basically means I could store the sum of the debian packaging
info, and all the work you developers have done on a 100meg zip disk
doesn't it?
So having a precompiled debian file is just a convenience?
Really what Debian has is a beautifully open method of tailoring the
original software authors sourcecode to a standardised, and
interworking system?
I feel although a big piece of the puzzle has just slotted into
place. And I suspect that the cause, well let me quote a little more..
> Erm. Well, some of us do not quite share your enthusiam about
> helper packages; preferring the ease, flexibility and control of hand
> crafting packages, but that is another story.
I read some of your comments and I agree. The goal isn't to make
everything easy for anybody. I liked the 6 year old chainsaw analogy,
but I suspect that what we may have missed here is a clear explanation
of the "features". I see what you have just explained to me as a great
feature, but I didn't know it was there even though I have use
deb-make in the past.
Maybe there is room for improving the documentation, yet still
expecting people to read it before they can use the system. Seems to
me if you don't put this in simple terms a lot of people will never
realise how clever you guys have been in developing this thing, called
Debian GNU/Linux.
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