[Distutils] Re: CPAN functionality for python

[Sean Reifschneider]

On Mon, Feb 26, 2001 at 11:14:35AM -0700, Bruce Sass wrote:
>from outside the archive.  The translation from a generic pkg to a
>distro specific pkg would be a problem for the disto to solve
>(probably a matter of repacking info about the pkg, then using

The only way having automaticly-generated packages be possible is
if we really force a conformance from the authors of the packages.
I've packaged quite a number of RPMs in my day, and you can get pretty
close to just wrapping a tar file with some meta-information in
some cases, but these are the minority.

In most cases you have to provide patches which fix incorrect paths
in the tar file (for example, the Python tar file uses
"#!/usr/local/bin/python" all over the place).

If we can force the distributions to be more compatible with being
packaged, it may be very easy.  Otherwise, we may have to rely on
people contributing their time to building RPMs if we want to have
RPMs.

>only way I can see to do that is to not package to anyones spec, but
>provide enough information so that anyone can package to their
>fav spec.

I don't agree...  I believe that we should embrace the different packaging
formats, not act like they don't exist.  If the distutils package can be
made to generate native RPMs, that's great.  The *CLIENT* program should
dictate that.  If it can handle turning a distutil package into an RPM,
it'll have it's preference be a distutil package.

I don't believe having the archive not able to deal with different package
formats is acceptable.  If that were the case, then if the package didn't
provide enough information to build an RPM, the user would have no option
within the archive of working around it.

Sean
-- 
 When in doubt, use brute force. 
                 -- Ken Thompson
Sean Reifschneider, Inimitably Superfluous <jafo@tummy.com>
tummy.com - Linux Consulting since 1995. Qmail, KRUD, Firewalls, Python