> > > > Unfortunately, we can't update that when we deliver > new versions in > > patches, so relying on the DESC field is not > useful. There is no > > generic way to find the "upstream" version of > software in a Solaris > > package - you have to rely on the software to have > a -v or --version > > or equivalent. > > And that is precisely my point. Or at least one of > them. > > The problem with the package management system as it > stands is that > it has changed little since Solaris 2 was first > released and it is > almost entirely geared towards installing Sun-sourced > software. This > is why we have the mismatch between the package > version (which is the > version of the package, not the version of the > software you are > installing) and the actual version of the software. > > If you only ever install strict Sun packages (i.e. > those purely > pertaining to the OS and the core Solaris group) then > the package > versioning and management features make sense. Once > you start > including third-party products (including those > bundled by Sun as > well as those from SunFreeware and Blastwave) it > starts to get > confusing. > > I've been using Solaris since it was first released, > I know the > issues and the history. But for a user migrating from > Linux or even > BSD, the package management and version information, > combined with > multiple potential sources for pre-packaged software, > and even the > same versions of a product (Perl say) from multiple > sources, all of > which install into different locations, is just a > complete and > confusing mess. > > This is only going to get worse with OpenSolaris as > we're going to > get more people providing and supporting the package > installation > method and more and more users wanting to install > pre-packaged > versions of popular FOSS software. > > We need some coherence, some improvements to the > package management > software and the data that it stores, and a service > that can combine > together the efforts of all the groups into a > reliable way of finding > and ultimately installing the software. > > As far as I know the package management tools aren't > out there yet, > but they will certainly be on my list of things to > investigate and > hopefully improve or extend.
Martin, Please do me a favor,when you doing the investigation of Solaris SVR4 PMS(package mangement system), please look at TWW's Hyper PMS that released with GPL licence. (see ref1 and ref2). the improvements you are hoping to do/see are mostly already done. 1. auto package build(using gmake makefile) 2. auto package installation/removal 3. package source in xml file 4. etc ... I am kind of exhausted on this PMS thread/debate with my limited English and free time. References: 1. http://www.thewrittenword.com 2. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/CPAM_with_TWW/User_Guide I will be happy to answer your questions about how TWW's HPMS can be OpenSolaris' PMS solution. Regards tj > > MC > > -- > Martin 'MC' Brown, http://MCslp.com > > _______________________________________________ > opensolaris-discuss mailing list > [email protected] > This message posted from opensolaris.org _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list [email protected]
