Subject: Re: Packages (Re: xntpd)
To: Hubert Feyrer <Hubert.Feyrer@rz.uni-regensburg.de>
From: Eric S. Hvozda <hvozda@netcom.com>
List: current-users
Date: 01/05/1996 05:58:41
On Thu, 4 Jan 1996 17:34:52 +0100  Hubert Feyrer wrote:
> 
> fits better!) about packages on the amiga-list. Right now we seem to be at a
> point at where we've settled on the concept of packages being in
> /usr/local/<somediryettoname>/<pkg> and binaries, man-pages etc. available
> through symlinks to /usr/local/bin, .../man, etc. If someone has reasonable
> arguments against it, please speak up *now*, tell us and possibly tell us a
> other (better) solution!

I like this idea in general.  I am partial to the symlink idea.  Why?
It's been done already :-)  There's a package out there called depot
(this is a CMU baby if I remember correctly, Kev?).

Basically, it allows you to create all those great package dirs with
bin, man, lib, etc sub dirs in them and have a symlink farm.  Installed
a new package?  No problem!  Just rerun the depot tools and it updates
the symlinks in /usr/local/bin and so forth for you.  It allows for
multi architecture support.  Combined with sup, it would make a nifty
way to bring new machines up to speed.

Anyway, I'm tooting someone else's horn now.  So I'll stop and see
if he'll toot it for us...