Re: Debian-related advertising on debian-announce
bruce@va.debian.org wrote on 05.02.98 in <[🔎] 19980205043216.15983.qmail@va.debian.org>:
> Yes, POSIX has a package format.. Tim Sailer has ordered the document for
> me.
I have it here. It seems it's following some very different objectives
than, say, dpkg or rpm. But maybe that's just my impression. I don't have
it long enough to really have understood all the details.
However, the general idea is to have a directory structure, with both the
actual package files and text control files in it, which can optionally be
packed up with either tar or cpio.
Complicated structures - the stuff that Debian does by sorting packages
into versions (bo/hamm), categories (base/news/web), and copyrights (main/
contrib/non-free), seem to be handled by putting all the packaged files in
the one directory tree.
Non-interactive configuration is supported. So is installing partial
packages, down to single files. And network installs.
The utilities for manipulating packages are named swask (ask for user
responses), swconfig (configure software), swcopy (copy distribution),
swinstall (install software), swlist (list software catalog), swmodify
(modify software catalog), swpackage (package distribution), swremove
(remove software), and swverify (verify software).
I'm thinking of using my Copious Free Time[tm] (also known as "this thing
other people have") to write some sort of prototype - unless someone has
already done this ... have to search around for it.
Anyway, a search on DejaNews shows that HP/UX is obviously using the
stuff.
MfG Kai
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