Basically, if you want to apply a patch to any installed program you *need*
the source for the program and the patch file, and once you've applied the
patch you *have* to compile it yourself and then install it over your
current copy of the program.
To produce a binary patch file, as you'd likely get with a Windows programs,
you'd have to supply a different patch file for each version of GCC which
could have been used to compile the source, and then a different patchfile
for each different option you could have supplied to the compiler. -O0 would
likely produce different object code to -O1, which would differ from -O2 and
-O3 and so on. It'd be practically impossible to do with OpenSource
software, as different users have different requirements. It's the nice
thing about open-source, but it makes binary patching impossible.
Thus, the best way to supply patches to code it to directly patch the source
and get the user to "roll his own" or compile it himself. He can then choose
his own options for optimisation, target CPU's, etc.
Now, if you have an application installed which you need/want to patch, you
must locate the source for it, unpack it, apply your patch file and compile
the thing again. It may well be just as easy to download a newer RPM and
upgrade it with one RPM command rather than all that messing about. You do,
however, have the choice.
For something like the kernel though, it's much easier to take the current
2.4.1 source you currently have and download 2 or 3 patch files to move it
up to 2.4.3, than it is to download another 28 meg copy of the kernel
source, /most/ of which is identical to the source you already have sitting
on your hard-drive in /usr/linux/src!
Patching isn't difficult, but it can be a bit daunting the first time your
try it - just like compiling your own kernel!
Steve Flynn
NOP Data Migration Ops Analyst
* 01603 687386
-----Original Message-----
From: Lionel Pitaru [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 3:40 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Please!!!!!!! FW: [newbie] HowTO patch
Hey! Grate . . . it's sounds grate. I will give it a tray at home
and tel
you of those bits . . . but sounds grate!!!
What about already installed apps that want to be patched. How do
you find
the source directory or you must specify all the files patched when
the
patch apps ask for it?
Sorry for so many questions. Hey! I'm really lerning!
Thanks
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of FLYNN, Steve
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 1:23 PM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: Please!!!!!!! FW: [newbie] HowTO patch
You are quite correct - you can't patch the .tar or the .tar.gz
file. What
you need to do is to get the source files and unpack them into a
source
directory.
You then place your patch file in the same place.
You CD into the source directory and apply the patchfile to the
source via
'patch'. Like you say, it'll probably be something like 'patch -p0 <
patchfile'. All that's going to do is change the actual source files
for
blackbox. It'll look at the source, look at the relevant bit of the
patchfile and work out how it needs to change each sourcefile to
make it
look "tie-up" with the patchfile.
Providing that works, you can then compile your newly patched
blackbox
sources and install it.
Which bit is giving you problems?
Steve Flynn
NOP Data Migration Ops Analyst
* 01603 687386
-----Original Message-----
From: Lionel Pitaru [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 2:54 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Please!!!!!!! FW: [newbie] HowTO patch
"So I have a lot of modularised and light weight patchs for
my
window
manager" . . . that is blackbox-0.61.1. I have one of many
patches
called
toolbar_menu.patch.
The man patch page said that it usually requiers just to
make a
patch -p0
(for example) < toolbar_menu.patch in the directory where
the
"sources"
(what this mean, just the blackbox archive, the tar.gz, the
entire
folder of
sources before compiling?), but this dosen't work. It tries
to patch
and
tell me that some file isn't there so i must specify the
file, and i
don't
know what to do.
There isn't a way to apply patches to the entiry
blackbox.tar.gz?
Mmmm,
sounds stupid?
Well, that's it . . .
Thanks
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of FLYNN,
Steve
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 12:37 PM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: Please!!!!!!! FW: [newbie] HowTO patch
Well, what exactly are you trying to patch and why?
It's a bit like say "I have this vehicle, please tell me how
to
change the
cam belt". The answer usually depends on what kind of
vehicle it is.
From your message it sounds like you are attempting to apply
patches
to
BlackBox 0.6.1.1. Correct?
Steve Flynn
NOP Data Migration Ops Analyst
* 01603 687386
-----Original Message-----
From: Lionel Pitaru [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2001 2:27 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Please!!!!!!! FW: [newbie] HowTO
patch
Please!!!! Help me with this!
Hello
Call me dummy, but, after reading the man page of
patch I
sill can't
make it
owrk well.
I'm using Mandrake 8.0 and BlackBox 0.61.1 as my
window
manager,
without any
other desktop manager. So I have a lot of
modularised and
light
weight
patchs for my window manager.
What I have to do with the patch's files? Please
take in
count that
I'm a
very basic user of Linux.
Thanks
Lionel
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This email and any files sent with it are intended only for the named
recipient. If you are not the named recipient please telephone/email
the sender immediately. You should not disclose the content or
take/retain/distribute any copies.
**********************************************************************
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Registered Office 2 Rougier Street
York YO90 1UU
Registered in England Number 3253947
A member of the Norwich Union Marketing Group
which is regulated by the Personal Investment Authority.
Member of the Association of British Insurers.
For further Enquires 01603 622200
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