Re: Simplifying package installation.

["Dipl.-Ing. Uwe Koloska" <koloska Rcs1 urz tu-dresden de>]

Hello,

I'm hard working reading to all those mails about package installation. While
reading some thoughts arise:


o user installation is important
--------------------------------

  everyone has to be free to use the software she wants to use!

  from an administrators view it looks like: all users do horrible things
  from the users side it is: administrators don't do what is necessary for my
  work to be done

  and because there is no way to prevent users from installing their own stuff,
  give her the possibility to do it right!  The install-programm has always to
  db to look at: the global and the local one. 

  - if the user installs an application locally the PM (package manager) only
    has to merge the two db's and do what has to be done -- that's it
  - if the admin installs a package the PM only has to look at the global db!!! 
    then, after the global install is ready and all dependencies are met, it
    has to step through all the user db's and report the necessary changes to
    the user
    then the user can start the PM to make the necessary changes to his local
    system  --  maybe the inspection of the correctness of the local system can
    be checked from the user (at login, etc.), otherwise a system with many
    users have a lot to do ...

  So, if a user want's her own applications, she has to be the local admin for
  them and to ease this task the PM supports her with information about
  (un)installed or upgraded global packages.

  It should be necessary to let the package designer state explicitly wether
  the package can be relocated or not (the pam example)

  BTW I don't use any PM and have different installation directories
  (/opt/Gnome for example) and everything works fine with configures --prefix=
  and --with-gnome= options


o don't make another "The Better"(TM) PM
----------------------------------------

  take cvs as a model. it uses rcs and wraps all it's functionality around this
  core -- and after it proofs it's use incorporates rcs

  so make a wrapper around rpm/dpkg/sunpkg(?)/... and provide the needed
  functionality (local install, dependency checking, etc.)


o give user's the chance to share local installations
-----------------------------------------------------

  "A user should only trust root and himself."  But I think you can trust some
  other users too (just like with pgp-keys).  So it would be nice if I can
  share my installation with some other users.  If my local installed app uses
  a library a trusted user has installed, my PM only has to make it accessible
  for my app (PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, etc.) -- and has to notice when it goes
  away or changes in another way.


Just my 2cent
Uwe



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