Hi Steve, On Mon, Jul 03, 2017 at 10:20:33PM -0400, Steve Litt wrote: > Hi all, > > Daniel J Bernstein, known as djb, created a package manager, called > slashpackage, that uses the Unix file hierarchy as the package > manager's database. As far as I can see, it has the following > (dis)advantages: > > ADVANTAGES: > * Less crazy than apt-get, yum, xbps, pacman, etc > * Always a determinate way to get to a file > * Used heavily in djb and djb-inspired software > * Requires no revision of "upstream" install scripts > > DISADVANTAGES: > * Filesystem Hierarchy System (FHS) noncompliant directories /package > and /command directly off the root. > * I've never seen any distro that would allow anything directly off the > root besides /usr, /var, /home, /tmp, /opt, /sys, /proc, /dev, /run > * If everybody who thought they had a better idea were allowed to > create their own directory directly off the root, the tree would be a > zoo.
Many of the "traditional" top-level directories you listed are relatively new. I don't think there's a problem with adding a new top-level directory if a need arises. It's not obvious from the slashpackage docs how a package publishes resources such as libraries, fonts or config files. I'm not sure he's proposing this as a blueprint for a unixlike OS distribution. I think the proposal is a rough sketch that would need to be fleshed out through practice. It's not a new idea that resources belonging to a program are more easily managed when installed under a single directory. GoboLinux has certainly gone into further detail.[1] Nix is also relevant. Nor is it new to publish executables by symlinks to all traditional unix directory paths such as /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, etc. Even systemd is touting that.[2] Perhaps Devuan will follow. Regardless, I think it would be an extraordinary package that couldn't be accommodated comfortably within the existing directory hierarchy. And I think Devuan is unlikely to benefit from a new system of new top-level package directories unless as part of a major reorganization, which for Devuan can hardly be on the table. Greetings, Joel 1. https://github.com/gobolinux/Documentation/wiki/The-GoboLinux-Filesystem-Hierarchy 2. https://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/systemd/TheCaseForTheUsrMerge/ > INFORMATION: > The following discuss the thought behind djb's slashpackage package > manager layout: > > http://skarnet.org/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?2:mss:1802:201707:npmlmocljngkmhfamaic > > https://cr.yp.to/slashpackage.html > > http://thedjbway.b0llix.net/builddjb.html > > https://cr.yp.to/slashpackage/management.html > > https://www.skarnet.org/software/skalibs/flags.html > > > QUESTIONS TO PONDER: > > * Do Debian djb style apps respect slashpackage, and if so, do they > all do it the same way in the same directories? If so, perhaps it's > best for Devuan to do it the same way. If Debian djb style apps > respect slashpackage but put its roots in all sorts of different > places, Devuan should go its own way. > > * I've heard Debian's runit will work right out of the box. If this is > true, this would be an incentive to use the same directories as the > Debian runit package. However, there's a runit-systemd package that I > don't think Devuan would be in a position to install. > > * How horrible would it be to have directories /command, /package and > perhaps even /service? /command and /package are both pure > slashpackage, and all three are available the instant the root > partition is loaded. > > * The s6 upstream installer has a choice as to whether to go > slashpackage, and if so, in which directories (if not the > original /command and /package)? I'll need to examine that. > > I'll keep you up to date on all of this. > > SteveT > > Steve Litt > June 2017 featured book: The Key to Everyday Excellence > http://www.troubleshooters.com/key > _______________________________________________ > Dng mailing list > Dng@lists.dyne.org > https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng -- Joel Roth _______________________________________________ Dng mailing list Dng@lists.dyne.org https://mailinglists.dyne.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/dng
