Re: [Helidelinux-devel] Package manager

[Hui Z. <zh...@wa...>]

On Tue, Mar 16, 2004 at 02:47:14PM +0000, Rolf Veen wrote:
> >> PKG -c <start|stop|status> name
> >> PKG -d name	Return configuration (in OGDL)
> >> PKG -e expression name
> >>               Modify configuration
> >> PKG --target name
These are more application specific operations. Wouldn't it be better
or simpler just use the application specific tools. We can use a
seperate program to just manage the services (thought it should be
able to talk to the package manager to check the installation status).
As for application specific configuration, the application itself
understands their configuration better. 

To implement them in a package manager, it need to understand each
package, such as which program is daemon, how to translate all types
of conf file back and forth to ogdl and what action each package is
capable of. In some aspect, the package manager will never be
complete (too many package varieties to take care of).

On the other hand, the package manager can provide a common gate way.
Each package provides a tool with common interface, and the package
manager talk to each package using this interface. Basically, each
package knows how to take care of themselves. But I am afraid this
won't happen until this sort of package manager is well established.

> 
> I'm leaning toward using the same tool but with different names and
> different exposed functionality, 'pkg' and 'src'. The first one oriented
> to package management in a running system, and the second oriented to
> build a system.
I see.


-Hui Zhou