Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 14:55:51 -0700 From: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca> To: James Howard <howardjp@glue.umd.edu> Cc: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group <Cy.Schubert@uumail.gov.bc.ca>, Wilko Bulte <wkb@freebie.demon.nl>, Will Andrews <will@physics.purdue.edu>, arch@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Packages (was: Re: Rsh/Rlogin/Rcmd & friends) Message-ID: <200009152155.e8FLtr926417@cwsys.cwsent.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Fri, 15 Sep 2000 17:35:07 EDT." <Pine.GSO.4.21.0009151734410.1701-100000@z.glue.umd.edu>
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In message <Pine.GSO.4.21.0009151734410.1701-100000@z.glue.umd.edu>, James Howard writes: > On Fri, 15 Sep 2000, Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group wrote: > > > things. I think the opposite is true: Not using packages is the BSD > > approach, then there's the package approach that the rest of the world > > uses. > > On the other hand, this is one of the reasons I prefer FreeBSD. I prefer FreeBSD because it's quality software. The fact that it doesn't use packages is IMO a negative, however the quality of the software far outweighs this significant negative. If FreeBSD was installed using packages I'd consider myself having my cake and eating it too. What RedHat does, requiring you to select each individual RPM is silly. IBM's approach (I spent 19 years of my career as an MVS Systems Programmer so I draw upon that experience as my preference) where the Systems Programmer would install the package and with the appropriate option SMP/E (MVS's package manager) would install all pre-requisites and co-requisites. I would normally run SMP/E with the "check" option first to see what it would install for me, then run it for real to actually do the install. Some packages were distributed as binary only and others were installed as source and binary. The MVS systems programmer would apply patches (PTF's or APAR fixes) to packages (Functions or FMID's). If I as the System's Programmer wanted to modify a piece of the O/S I would build a USERMOD. The hierarchical nature of SMP/E would discard my USERMODS, notifying me of course, when any of my USERMODS were being updated by an FMID (package), PTF (patch), APAR (temporary patch), or another USERMOD (specifically written to supercede a prior USERMOD). Implementing packages into FreeBSD would radically change the way releases are created so if we do something like this, it needs to be carefully thought out well in advance of implementation, e.g. 99% of all the issues need to be hashed out long before the first piece of code is written. Implementation cannot be taken lightly. Regards, Phone: (250)387-8437 Cy Schubert Fax: (250)387-5766 Team Leader, Sun/DEC Team Internet: Cy.Schubert@osg.gov.bc.ca Open Systems Group, ITSD, ISTA Province of BC To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-arch" in the body of the message
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