LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Christopher Yeoh <cyeoh@linuxcare.com.au>
  To  : Dan Shearer <dan@tellurian.com.au>
  Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 17:30:05 +1100 (EST)

Re: Conclusions on Software Packaging (Linux only, and Long)

Dan Shearer writes:

> > 
> > I suspect that the main problems that people have with RPMs not being
> > compatible between distributions are not due to the RPM
> > format. 
> 
> I agree. The main problems stem from a lack of policy.

Well to be precise its a lack of consistent policy across _different_
RPM distributions (there is consistent policy within distributions).
We're probably not that much in disagreement here - I just think that
compatability problems are not due to differences between RPM and deb
or even the existence of apt but instead that rpm based distros
haven't kept in agreement with each other as to what is the `best'
version of various libraries to use and what is the best directory
structure. Different timings in release cycles between distros doesn't
help.

Part of this difference between deb and rpm based distros is probably
due to deb based distributions all originating from Debian, a
non-commerical entity - and thus not seen as nearly as big a
competitor as say Red Hat. Also AFAIK the number of RPM based
distributions is _much_ larger than deb based ones, so you expect to
see more `forking'.

> Progeny, Storm and (back then) Corel seem to have made a point of the fact
> that they are using the _exact_ packages that Debian use. They are using
> live Debian underneath as far as I understand it, rather than putting
> their own mods on some Debian snapshot. This means that each distro is
> accepting Debian policy. (I believe most of the mini Debian distros do
> much the same but I've never checked.)

This can be problematic for distributions that want to supply the
latest versions of programs though, as you end up being constrained by
the `base'. The versions of some software on Debian potato (stable)
are (in open source development terms) seen as reasonably old. Many
distribution makers wouldn't be willing to wait around for another
stable release and there starts the incompatibilities between
distros.....

Chris.
-- 
cyeoh@linuxcare.com.au
Support Open Source Ice-Cream

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