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Date:      Fri, 24 Mar 1995 21:05:03 -0500
From:      mtaylor@gateway.cybernet.com (Mark J. Taylor)
To:        hackers@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: httpd as part of the system.
Message-ID:  <v01520903ab99265fb27e@[192.245.33.12]>

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Terry writes:
>
>Perhaps a political renaming of ports is in order to better imply
>what you've said here.
>
>The main issue is one of installation tools (again).
>
>Perhaps "optional software" during the main install?

At least during "main install," yes.

>
>Or the ability to rerun the main install by typing "install", but then
>only being given a list of uninstalled pieces that you can install?

What about upgrades of already-installed packages?  Or if the sysadmin
lost/deleted the /var/db/pkg directory?  Systems crash sometimes, and
things get lost (but not FreeBSD, of course ;)  How can you be *sure* that
a piece is installed or not?

>
>Sort of a menu for "pkgadd" that knows what packages are available
>that has the same look-n-feel as the install and starts when you
>type "install" and pretends to have installed other pieces, like
>"base OS" but refuses to uninstall them?
>
>Just thinking out loud...
>
>
>                                        Terry Lambert
>                                        terry@cs.weber.edu
>---
>Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
>or previous employers.

The sysadmin should be able to install any of the available packages at any
time- not just during "main install."  It would be bogus to require a
complete installation of the entire system if he/she forgot to include a
package/port/whatever_you_pc_name_for_a_port_is.


Question:
Should there be the concept of meta-packages?  Ones which are just a
collection of other packages, that is.  If this was done, then there could
be the 'super network' meta pack, and the 'security' meta pack, etc.
Or should there just be some sort of menu listing each package
individually, and let the sysadmin select them out?
How about a combination of the two, where the contents of the meta-package
are displayed, and the sysadmin has the option to install
anything/everything in the group?


Does anyone actually like the 'inst' installer used by SGI?  Maybe that
would be a good format to start with.  (Personally, I think it serves its
purpose, but it is time consuming and butt-ugly.  How many 'more's do you
have to do to make sure you've got it right?)


I'll go spouting my mouth off somewhere else now...


-Mark Taylor
mtaylor@cybernet.com





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