Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] packaging
From: D. Stimits (stimits_AT_idcomm.com)
Date: Fri Jul 20 2001 - 23:43:40 EEST
Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>
> In-Reply-To: <200107200256.f6K2u4G01618_AT_viper.cs.nmsu.edu>
>
> On Thu, 19 Jul 2001, Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>
> > My experience with RPMs, a little under a year ago, was that the whole
> > system is basically broken. All the different RPM-based distributions
> > have their own versions of the same packages,
>
> This is a problem of compatibility between distros. Hopefully, the
> Linux Standard Base specification will help there.
>
> One of the purposes of a packaging system is to enforce
> dependencies and constraints on the packages. If RPM doesn't do that,
> (and my experience was that it doesn't, at least not adequately), then
> it's broken.
I don't know if this is a problem of rpm tool, or in the builder of the
package not correctly adding the dependencies. But in defense of what
you say, and something that irritates a lot of people, I consider it
poor design or general failure if the interface and use of some software
is so difficult that the design itself promotes mistakes and errors. One
can easily say, for example, that since C is capable of OOP by careful
programmers, that C++ is just for those who don't know how to
program...and the same could be said of assembler, that since it can do
all that C does, only an idiot would use C. What makes each of those
languages worthwhile is that there is some place where it is the best
tool to do the job right...if the tool is designed to specialize in one
particular job, and it causes grief from complexities, then it has
failed in some way. I don't buy the idea that RPM can't do dependencies
correctly, but if someone points out that using RPM makes correct
dependency setup terribly difficult or error prone, then I would agree
it is a bug (of a different sort, design, but still a bug).
D. Stimits, stimits_AT_idcomm.com
> --
> Joseph J. Pfeiffer, Jr., Ph.D. Phone -- (505) 646-1605
> Department of Computer Science FAX -- (505) 646-1002
> New Mexico State University http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~pfeiffer
> SWNMRSEF: http://www.nmsu.edu/~scifair
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