Re: synaptic / apt4rpm

On 6 Jan 2003, Hunter Matthews wrote:

> I'm NOT responding about apt on current mailing list - I consider that
> sort of thing relevant.
> 
> However, a couple of points:
> 
> 1) up2date never claimed provide one stop shopping for package control -
> you use up2date to "talk to the network" and rpm to query about local
> packages. I agree it might be interesting to add some basic local stuff
> to up2date.

That would be very much appreciated.  Not knowing what is installed, or
what versions are installed, is a big problem for me. [The ability to
deinstall from the same interface is a "nice to have" feature, but not
critical.]

> 2) Look at the code for apt, and then look at the code for up2date. I'm
> not talking about language wars between python and c++: look at the
> overall quality and attention to detail.
> 
> 2.5) pay particular attention to the dependancy resolution and the fact
> that file dep support in apt4rpm is an afterthought.

Unfortunately, I am not a programmer.  (Wrote my last program over twenty
years ago.)  As a system admin, those dependancy issues are critical, but
even RPM has problems in that area.  I cannot count the number of times 
I've reverted to a clean installation after RPM package upgrades broke 
something on the system.

[I currently have a RH73 system where Konqueror will not run because of a
KDE library issue, even after removing and reinstalling multiple packages
to try and clean up the conflict.]


> 3) Apt servers are basically VERY simple - it should not be hard at all
> to setup.

That was my impression also.

What I am trying to do is set things up so that local engineers can run
something like up2date on their desktops to add/delete packages as needed,
so that I am not needed everytime someone needs something such as
ghostview added to their system and so I do not need to install "EVERY" 
package on every system. <grin>

Thanks for your comments.

Bob
 
> On Mon, 2003-01-06 at 13:47, Bob Van Cleef wrote:
> > 
> > I've been pretty disappointed with the Red Hat up2date interface for a long
> > time. The major weakness being its silence on what is currently installed.
> > (I was spoiled by running one debian system and using dselect.)
> > 
> > I looked at Red Carpet from Ximian http://www.ximian.com/, but it had the 
> > same lack of features:
> > 
> > 	- no clue as to currently installed packages
> > 	- no listing of current version of packages
> > 	- no support for package removal
> > 
> > I have since found the apt4rpm tools at freshrpms.net.  Add the Synaptic
> > (http://distro.conectiva.com.br/projetos/46/) GUI front end, and you have
> > a very nice tool set.
> > 
> > I am now looking at what it would take to set up a local apt server, which
> > may mean that the current server may become obsolecent.
> > 
> > Bob