Re: Gnome/Linux Application Installer

[James LewisMoss <dres ioa com>]

>>>>> On Wed, 23 Dec 1998 10:50:42 -0700 (MST), Mark Galassi <rosalia@cygnus.com> said:

 Jason> If some standard isn't decided on, I can see software
 Jason> developers eventually writing their own little install
 Jason> utilities.  (We are beginning to see this with things like
 Jason> StarOffice and WP8.)  Instead of making the same mistake
 Jason> Windows apps do (duplicating the damn InstallShield for every
 Jason> application), we should have _one_ copy of the
 Jason> installer/uninstall program that handles a common format.

 Jason> Comments/opinions?

 Mark> Isn't the issue really one of RPM/dpkg convergence?

No.  This is one of the more minor issues.  More major are things like
{pre,post}{inst,rm} type scripts (I'm speaking in Debian mode here
since that's what I know) where init.d scripts go.  How menus and
shared file changes occur. 

Having a tool that allows rpms to be installed on debian systems and
debs to be installed on redhat systems is minor and already done (the
alien program).  No major reason to make the two package formats
identical (nor is it likely to happen anyway).

Dres
-- 
@James LewisMoss <dres@ioa.com>         |  Blessed Be!
@    http://www.ioa.com/~dres           |  Linux is kewl!
@"Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours." Bach