Re: More-automated from-source installation of Debian packages
>>"Daniel" == Daniel Burrows <Daniel_Burrows@brown.edu> writes:
Daniel> 1) User marks a package in Pretty Frontend, saying "I want
Daniel> to have this package installed from source in the
Daniel> future."
Daniel> 2) Pretty Frontend cogitates and marks all of that package's
Daniel> dependencies and build-dependencies for installation
Daniel> (from source or not? Not sure)
Why not? In for a penny ....
Daniel> 3) Pretty Frontend downloads all files needed: the package source,
Daniel> packages for its various dependencies.
Daniel> 4) Pretty Frontend presents the user with a list of
Daniel> commonly-used compile options, asking him/her to select
Daniel> the desired set from it. (there is probably an
Daniel> "advanced" button somewhere which allows environment
Daniel> variables and/or configure arguments to be manually
Daniel> typed)
Why not just ./debian/rules build? If people are knowledgeable
enough to want to tinker with options, a pretty gui is not enough to
handle all the ways things can be set. Allow for a downlod and unpack
stage, at which point one can tineker with build, and then a build
stage, which calls ./debian/rules build.
Daniel> 5) Pretty Frontend installs all (build-)dependencies of the
Daniel> package. (note that this might include the package
Daniel> itself; think gcc)
Generalizing this is a bad idea. Obviously, certain packages
in build essentials ahve to be excempt )go ahead, build make without
haing it preinstalled)
One of the reasons for recompiling from known source is
security and compatibility, and general circular dependencies in
build depends should be strongly deprecated.
Daniel> 6) Pretty Frontend unpacks the package source (say,
Daniel> under /usr/src/debian-build) and proceeds to compile it
Daniel> with the options the user selected.
Again, I thik we should use ./debian/rules build.
That should bring in the most common options already tuned for
each package. Een this is hard for an automated tool to do
(are you going to edit configure.in? or local.m4? or local.conf?
These are just some places where options are set, and edited in place
by the maintianer).
Allowing pretty gui to set common options is a lot harder than
you think.
manoj
--
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BOOTH!
Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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