Re: Suggestion to and how to alow different compression for .debs
Ben Collins <bcollins@debian.org> writes:
> On Tue, Oct 26, 1999 at 11:23:24PM +0200, Goswin Brederlow wrote:
> > Chris Pimlott <pimlottc@null.net> writes:
> >
> > You would need a switch case statement that tests for all possible
> > formats that might be allowed.
> >
> > Having an uncompress.sh the procedure will be identical for all
> > compressors, just pipe it through it.
> >
> > Its far easier to replace the gzip call with an uncompress.sh call
> > than to program a switch case into all scripts.
> >
> > May the Source be with you.
>
> Uhh, so how would moving all of this external to dpkg-source make it any
> easier to program? All of the knowledge still has to be there.
My idea was to include a "uncompress.sh" file in the control.tar.gz
and pipe the compressed tar file through that to get the uncompressed
tar. All the change that would be needed is a simple test of existence
(or the dpkg could ensure that there allways is such a script) and
then pipe through that.
Without that you have to unpack the .deb file, look around for a
data.tar.xxx and make a switch/case over xxx. Each compressor would
need its own entry there and as soon as the third compressor comes up
for debian packages a lot of work is saved with my idea.
I´m not suggesting that deb packages should be allowed to use any
compression they like, but that dpkg and similar should be changed to
handle arbitrary compression instead of just the few allowed once
(namely gzip and hopefully soon bzip2).
I call for generality here. Just think about the guy who said that 6
characters for a date will be enough. :) Two, three, four or even
houndert different compression formats could prove to be one less than
needed.
My idea would carry the needed knowledge to unpack a package to the
package itself and therby to the place that should realy know how to
deal with the uncompresson.
May the SOurce be with you.
Goswin
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