Re: Fwd: Re: [Mentalunix-developers] Installer image 0.0.1

[Clinton E. <unk...@un...>]

> > > alien -i foo.net_deb_pkg works, but what if you're trying to 
install a
> non slack or rpm package, (of course thats easily work aroundable), 
or you
> have a package that doesn't comply with your fs hierachy.  You will 
run
> into problems, or (more likely) misplaced files and such.  basically, 
my
> goal is to take any package (foo.rpm or whatever) feed it into my app
> (lprs), and install the app, record its precense in a db, etc.  Now
> obviously, most (all) package managers do that (to some extent).  the 
main
> difference, is that lprs will organize stuff in a much more organized
> manner (much like a ports system.  take a look at gentoo, and look at
> emerge and portage for a basic idea of what im thinking of).
> 
> The main reason i decided to do this is simply because i have not been
> pleased with any single packaging system.  emerge kicks ass, but the
> ebuilds (packages) blow.  apt kicks ass, but i think it could be 
better.
> alien, well, i havent used it yet, but it serves its purpose.  
debports
> might be great, might not.  i'll look at it, and maybe ill use that 
as a
> starting point.  remember, the biggest advantage to using a unix
> based/like system is that you could do stuff any way you want, and 
your
> not limited.  don't think of it as reinventing the wheel, but more 
like
> think of it as the hybrid car engines... its and advancement, bringing
> concepts together, not re-inventing something already done.
> the only disadvantage of designing a new package system is thats its
> limited to what its installed on, and isn't (at the beginning) used on
> other systems, and in other distro's.  but if done right, its solves
> problems.  if nothing else, it could lead to changes made in rpm, or 
apt,
> or dpkg, or whatever.
> 
> also, when i think of a new package system (if that is waht I would 
do) is
> not somethign like rpm, or deb, but rather a ruleset for tgz's or
> something like that.

I think an interesting project would be to add new macros to the 
autotools to let you do something like this:

configure.ac:
AC_INIT_PACKAGE([foo], [0.0.1])

Makefile.am
package_PACKAGES = foo bar
foo_CONTROL = control
...

Basically add packaging macros to the autotools so that a user could 
run ./configure --make-package=[deb|udeb|rpm|emerge|slp|...] and have a 
nice package built for them. 


> > > So now I guess we should do some general planning
> > > (nothing to
> > > detailed). I just want to compile a basic TODO list (e.g.
> > > * write
> > > second stage installer scripts) and start assigning
> > > tasks. I'll work on
> > > the website this weekend. Also, I know of at least one
> > > other person who
> > > will be testing the 0.0.2 installer image (on a laptop
> > > too). I think
> > > that someone is also going to test it on a desktop.
> > >
> sounds good.  0.0.1  needs lots of work,  and since you said you 
probably
> won't be able to upload until monday or tuesday, i'll give you a short
> list of my probs...
> 1) usb drivers are not loaded, and therefore, mouse won't work, and
> therefore, graphical install won't work.
> 2) networking,  my nic wasn't detected, and no module was loaded for 
it.
> 3) partitioning.  pgi required every partion to have a mount point.  
it
> hung on either my winxp partition with ntfs, or my gentoo partition 
with
> xfs.

I thought I was the only one with the usb problem (because of my ohci 
controller). I'll recompile the kernel with the ohci and uhci 
controllers in the kernel instead of as modules. The X installer 
wouldn't have worked anyway. PGI shouldn't hang on every partition not 
having a mount point, it worked fine for me (btw, pgi starts X with the 
open mouse allowed to fail option so it should work with no mouse). I 
think that might be because you were doing the text mode install. 

Also, what NIC do you have? I think I compiled modules for every single 
NIC the kernel has available...maybe discover doesn't have the card in 
its device database. I should be able to rebuild the kernel with 
support for your ethernet card if I get a message sometime today, if 
not it will have to wait for 0.0.3. 

I think I'll go and swap parts around with some old machines to build a 
server (so I can actually test the installer) and go out to get a 
crossover cable...

-- 
unknown_lamer (not at home)