Re: Simplifying package installation.

[Justin Maurer <justin slashdot org>]

>    Typically, if a user wants to install a package, they need to get
> root privileges to install it.  Yes, RPM helps a lot in this
> situation, but it does not address the very very end user problem.

what about the fact that rpm and other package managers (i know at least dpkg) 
allow for installs to user-specified directories? i have never done this, but 
it i know it is possible. i'm not sure about still needing root or not, but 
(and i'm thinking as i write), it seems to me like it would be a good idea 
for rpm to support per-user rpmdb's. that way, i can just do rpm -Uvh 
gnumeric.rpm and it can check my rpmdb and the sys rpmdb for dependencies, 
etc.

>    So it ocurred to me, that we could follow the Nextstep way of doing
> things for this.  Application providers could just ship a directory,

well, i think it is pretty cool, but as adrian pointed out in his follow-up, 
it has some issues.

what about an installshield-like thingee that uses rpm/dpkg/etc., possibly 
in combination with the per-user rpm db? then you just double click the file 
in gfm, it says "Hi, I'm installing this app for you. Keep in mind that unless 
you decide to install it as root, no one else on the system will be able to 
use it" (which isn't 100% technically accurate, but it is just for sake of 
my example).

-- 
Justin Maurer                                justin@linux.hypnotic.org
IFT Systems, Inc.                            http://linux.hypnotic.org
6717 N.31st Street                              Tel: +1 (703) 237-5511 
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