From owner-freebsd-chat  Wed Oct  1 07:10:49 1997
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-chat>
Received: (from root@localhost)
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id HAA15491
          for chat-outgoing; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 07:10:49 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from word.smith.net.au (ppp20.portal.net.au [202.12.71.120])
          by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id HAA15474
          for <chat@FreeBSD.ORG>; Wed, 1 Oct 1997 07:10:41 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from word.smith.net.au (localhost.smith.net.au [127.0.0.1])
	by word.smith.net.au (8.8.7/8.8.5) with ESMTP id XAA00429;
	Wed, 1 Oct 1997 23:37:39 +0930 (CST)
Message-Id: <199710011407.XAA00429@word.smith.net.au>
X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97
To: Eivind Eklund <perhaps@yes.no>
cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: Microsoft brainrot (was: r-cmds and DNS and /etc/host.conf) 
In-reply-to: Your message of "Wed, 01 Oct 1997 13:47:03 +0200."
             <199710011147.NAA20107@bitbox.follo.net> 
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 1997 23:37:38 +0930
From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>
Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
X-Loop: FreeBSD.org
Precedence: bulk

> [long list of requirements for packages deleted]
> 
> Doesn't RPM already deal with much of this?  An entire book (over 500
> pages) is available on the design of RPM - and they've been kind
> enough to also put it online at http://www.rpm.org (there is a link
> from the front page).  It would be a pity to just ignore all the work
> that has already been done; at least we should be able to snarf the
> good parts of their design, if it isn't good enough to use directly.

Learning from the RPM design is a good idea, but it doesn't go far 
enough.  I've mentioned the SGI 'inst' facility before, and I'll do so 
again.  Ignore the interface, instead focus on the basic structure of 
the system; the hierarchical organisation of components within 
packages, packages upon media, etc.

mike