Re: what is the difference between a source package and a package (want alsa-lib in stretch)
On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 1:56 PM, <tomas@tuxteam.de> wrote:
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> On Sat, Jan 06, 2018 at 01:38:06PM -0800, Dan Hitt wrote:
>> I'm trying to build some software, and one of the long list of items
>> to install prior to configuring is 'alsa-lib'.
>>
>> I tried
>> 'sudo apt-get install alsa-lib'
>> but got the message
>> 'E: Unable to locate package alsa-lib'
>
> There's no binary package 'alsa-lib'. Often, several binary packages
> are built from one source package, each one can then be installed
> independently.
>
>> So i looked around on the internet, and saw a page for an alsa-lib
>> package on debian stretch:
>> https://packages.debian.org/source/stretch/alsa-lib
>
> In your case, the page you mention lists all binary packages built
> from alsa-lib (libasound, libasound-data, and a couple of others).
>
> Typically, at least one -dev (e.g. for libraries, containing the
> headers, when you want to build against the libs), and -doc are
> built as separate binary packages: in systems with restricted
> storage page, you don't always want the full documentation, for
> example. The -udeb [1] there is, for example, a stripped down
> version meant for the installer (in the installer you want just
> naked functionality, to keep things small).
>
> If you run the build scripts from the source package, it'll
> generate all the binary packages.
>
> Cheers
> [1] https://d-i.alioth.debian.org/doc/talks/debconf6/paper/index.html#id2535182
Thanks Tomas, Thomas S, and Roberto for the explanation of what a
source package is, and the suggestion of which of the alsa-lib
packages i should install.
(I ended up installing libasound2-dev, and as a precaution,
libasound2-doc just in case i need to look over the docs for whatever
reason.)
dan
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