[sf-lug] Gentoo Binary Project

[Justin Ryan]

On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 8:49 PM, Asheesh Laroia <asheesh at asheesh.org> wrote:
> On Fri, 29 Aug 2008, Justin Ryan wrote:
>
>> Sure, then to get software which isn't available or up-to-date, you
>> install portage-prefix, which then installs new copies of all the stuff that
>> Ubuntu and Debian installed for you, and they fight it out with light
>> sabers.  Last time I emerge -u system in my prefix setup, which I use to
>> build one package that I don't have on Ubuntu, it took a day.
>
> That's why there's the apt-src package, which automates building new or
> customized versions of packages for the Debian world.
>
>> I've actually been thinking about using Portage to generate rpm and
>> deb packages, for creating minidistributions, and also for making it
>> simpler to deploy some things I use portage-prefix fore.
>>
>> I find ebuilds easier to write, update, modify, etc.. than I've ever
>> found .spec or the dpkg directory structure.
>
> This is a very good point - would people like me to do a teach-in about how
> to build Debian packages, how to contribute them to Debian/Ubuntu, and hwo
> to upgrade existing packages beyond what the Debian maintainer has done?
>
> It would really do better in a better venue than the Javacat - but we were
> discussing different venues before.
>
> I'm not going to say people shouldn't work on phillip's binary Gentoo
> project - by all means, do what you like!  It's a Free (and open source)
> World! (-:
>
> I would just love to also teach people about the Debian way!
>

When I said it was a PITA, I didn't say I don't know how.  Ebuilds are
easier, for me, you can't infuse your brain.

I appreciate the offer, it would be a cool presentation, but there are
already ebuilds for tons of software that there aren't debs for.
Having an ebuild-to-deb factory wouldn't be a bad idea.

I love apt, it's on almost every computer I have, but noone
understands how the bloody hell it works anymore and the original
authors are, no disrespect, not young bucks.  It's a fantastic known
quantity but I hope that before I die there is a better packager than
Portage, or Apt, or Ports, or RPM, etc..

I've been working with these things for about half of my life and
though useful, they are extremely painful in many ways and become
opportunities for competence tyranny.

The problem eats to Dennis' later note: people are so concerned with
proving that something is the best that every new idea is viewed as a
competetive threat rather than interesting.

Also, debuntu has some major issues with packaging of certain things.
Knowing how to write the packages doesn't help with the fact that
there are thousands of packages with stylistic decisions in them that
affect the ability to build software which isn't supported by debuntu.

$0.02

-- 
Justin Alan Ryan
Independent Interaction Architect
http://www.bitmonk.net/
* : +1-415-226-1199 x2600

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