universal package manager

[linux_learner]

i can come up with ideas, but for now i cant code. i understand the concepts, but dont know the functions, and i barely have time.

 

i was talking with tyme about this, although it was a limited conversation. he pointed out http://www.autopackage.org/ in which i said, thats close, but not quite what i dreamt up.

 

so what then is my idea? here it is.

 

my idea, much like autopackage is to unify the package managers. but my approach is different. what i want to do, is combine debian apt-get, urpmi, and portage into a single package manager. to have an interface like red carpet, or maybe intigrated with webmin. where the user can uninstall, upgrade and install all at once.

 

the idea behind this is whether the package is on the system or on the net, the use can click on it and install it. the user could install source packages just by clicking on it, or debian packages or rpm. it doesnt matter.

 

the tough part would be the data base. portage, urpmi, and apt-get all use different data bases, so we'd have to somehow resolve this into a single database.

 

ofcourse the first line of business would be to get the cli part working, then worry about the front end.

 

i'm open to ideas. i really think this is one area that linux could work on. it would go along way to smooth the transition from windows to linux.

[Michel]

something liek zeroinstall. In Roxdesktop this approeach is build-in I believe...

 

maybe you knew this .. instead

 

http://rox.sourceforge.net/phpwiki/index.php/ZeroInstall

 

maybe "checkinstall" can help you out too.

[Steve Scrimpshire]

I'm interested in helping on this, but dont know how helpful I'd be. I have installed apt-get from the mdk cooker repositories and after install, it sees my rpm database:

[root@laptop omar]# apt-get install gaim

Reading Package Lists... Done

Building Dependency Tree... Done

gaim is already the newest version.

0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 removed and 27 not upgraded.

[linux_learner]

i dont know if you have the debian apt-get or apt4rpm. if it is the debian apt-get then this goes to show that its a database issue, since yours only showed 27 packages.

 

i have apt4rpm. this is a port of apt-get, but it only deals with rpms. since mine is apt4rpm it scans the rpms and the list on the net and gives results like its supposed to. now to do this with the debian apt-get. to be able to work with debian packages, just like rpms.

 

they have ported portage over to suse, and i dont mean like they did with apt4rpm. this is the real portage. and since it is, it has its own database. http://forums.suselinuxsupport.de/index.ph...=796&hl=portage

[linux_learner]

i was thinking about the database issue. every linux distro has at least one database. we use updatedb so that locate and slocate can work. using either this database or a principle like this would resolve the database issue.

 

1) it searches actual dirs and files

2) not package specific

 

this seems to be the best solution to resolve this issue, unless someone else has a better idea.

[Steve Scrimpshire]

I like that idea. Apparently, what I got is similar to, if not the same as, apt4rpm:

[root@laptop omar]# urpmq -i apt

extracting apt-0.5.15cnc6-2mdk.i586

Name        : apt

Version    : 0.5.15cnc6

Release    : 2mdk

Group      : System/Configuration/Packaging

Size        : 1250346                      Architecture: i586

Source RPM  : apt-0.5.15cnc6-2mdk.src.rpm    Build Host: n1.mandrakesoft.com

Packager    : Michael Scherer <misc@mandrake.org>

URL        : https://moin.conectiva.com.br/AptRpm

Summary    : Debian's Advanced Packaging Tool with RPM support

Description :

A port of Debian's apt tools for RPM based distributions,

or at least for MandrakeLinux. Original RPM port done by and

for Connectiva. It provides the apt-get utility that

provides a simpler, safer way to install and upgrade packages.

APT features complete installation ordering, multiple source

capability and several other unique features.

 

Under development, use at your own risk!