Date: Wed, 28 Aug 1996 14:14:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@glue.umd.edu> To: Ernest Hua <hua@chromatic.com> Cc: kientzle@netcom.com, freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Linux async vs. FreeBSD sync (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.95.960828141203.23206Q-100000@thurston.eng.umd.edu> In-Reply-To: <199608281747.KAA01233@server1.chromatic.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Ernest Hua wrote:
>
> I've been using a private scheme doing precisely the same thing
> (each application version to its own directory). This has the
> enormous advantage of being able to upgrade/downgrade a single
> application in a snap.
>
> My own scheme is a bit klunky, and I would prefer some more
> fully-automated methods. The issue I ran into is:
>
> Transparent installation. Many programs are not quite as
> automatically configurable as GNU and company. Therefore,
> manual patching of path names (installation and execution)
> are necessary.
>
> Ideally, every program to be installed will truly believe they
> are being installed in /usr/local, but will actually be copied
> somewhere else, but with proper symbolic links to make it look
> just like it was in /usr/local.
>
> A full database of files installed (per application version)
> would be built (automatically, probably by faking out programs
> such as cp and install) to allow arbitrary removal/upgrade/downgrade
> of any version of any application.
I don't understand completely why you'd do this. If you want ispell in
/usr/local/app/ispell/bin, then do the ports make as:
make PREFIX=/usr/local/app/ispell
and it would install there, unless it was an X11 application. The X11
apps will probably do that too in a little while (watch this space!)
Of course, your path statement would look like hell.
>
> Ern
>
> > An alternative package system that I've been using successfully for several
> > months now is to install _every_ application in it's own private directory,
> > and then populate /usr/local/{lib,bin,include,man} with appropriate
> > symlinks. For example, I have "ispell" installed in /usr/local/app/ispell
> > as follows:
> >
> > /usr/local/app/ispell/bin - public executables
> > /usr/local/app/ispell/lib - public lib file
> > /usr/local/app/ispell/man/man? - Man pages
> >
> > I've then cobbled a quick Perl script that destroys and then
> > re-builds the following directories:
> >
> > /usr/local/man/man? - links to /usr/local/app/*/man/man?/*
> > /usr/local/lib - links to /usr/local/app/*/lib/*
> > /usr/local/include - links to /usr/local/app/*/include/*
> > /usr/local/links/bin - links to /usr/local/app/*/bin/*
> >
> > (I chose /usr/local/links/bin rather than /usr/local/bin to avoid
> > some transition headaches.)
> >
> > The big advantage of this scheme over the current FreeBSD package
> > scheme is that it's very easy to add a new port to this system,
> > since you don't have to track down every file and enter it into
> > some database. Similarly, removing packages is equally simple: just
> > delete the package directory and rebuild the link directories.
> >
> > Currently, this doesn't handle package dependencies, and has some other
> > weaknesses, but I think it has serious advantages over the current system.
> > In particular, it easily handles new programs and ports as well as
> > existing packages.
>
>
>
----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Chuck Robey | Interests include any kind of voice or data
chuckr@eng.umd.edu | communications topic, C programming, and Unix.
9120 Edmonston Ct #302 |
Greenbelt, MD 20770 | I run Journey2 and n3lxx, both FreeBSD
(301) 220-2114 | version 2.2 current -- and great FUN!
----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.OSF.3.95.960828141203.23206Q-100000>