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Manage Packages Using Stow

Posted by michael on from the apt-get-still-rules dept.

dW writes "This article is about Stow, a software installation management utility for Linux that offers a number of advantages over the tried-and-true Red Hat and Debian package management systems. With Stow, you can package applications in standard tar files and keep application binaries logically arranged for easy access."

4 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Stow isn't Perfect, alas... by dkf · · Score: 5, Informative

    We (the Tcl core developers) have had problems in the past with Stow, mainly because it relies on being able to specify the installation process at 'make-install' time instead of normal 'make' time, leading to messed up baked-in paths... :^/

    --
    "Little does he know, but there is no 'I' in 'Idiot'!"
    1. Re:Stow isn't Perfect, alas... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      try encap. predates stow.

      http://encap.cso.uiuc.edu

  2. remember this when deciding to try out stow by aagren · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've used stow on different unix platforms during the last couple of years, and I think it is a great tool to maintain software packages which aren't supported by the platforms own packaging system (deb, rpm, pkg, etc..)

    But remember one thing. If you are starting with a new stow system in f.x. /usr/local, then be sure to make the directory structure:

    /usr/local/bin
    /usr/local/lib
    /usr/local/include
    etc

    if it doesn't exit before stowing anything. Otherwise the following will happen. let's asume that you have the software package in: /usr/local/packages/app-1.4

    with it's own strucure like: /usr/local/packages/app-1.4/bin /usr/local/packages/app-1.4/lib
    etc.

    stow'ing this packages without the /usr/local-structure will result in:

    ls -l /usr/local

    bin -> packages/app-1.4/bin
    lib -> packages/app-1.4/lib
    etc.

    Then the nect package (let's call it app2-1.5) you will be stow'ing to /usr/local wille see that f.x. /usr/local/bin allready exits at then link the files from it's own bin-drectory to /usr/local/bin, which result in files from app2-1.5 will be linked to the /usr/local/packages/app-1.4 structure, which will mess up things.

  3. Re:Have you tried Gentoo's Emerge by Imran · · Score: 5, Informative

    Flamebait disclaimer: I have been running Gentoo on all of my machines for over a year now, so don't take this as an anti-Gentoo comment.

    stow and ebuilds aren't really operating in the same space.

    rpm,deb,portage = full blown package managers, controlling everything under /usr. These can start with source (or pre-compiled binaries), and handle everything from installation to dependency-handling, etc (with varying degrees of efficiency).

    stow = simple symlink manager, providing an easy way to maintain order within /usr/local, for those apps I compile and install manually (and, for whatever reason, don't want to repackage as an ebuild/rpm/whatever)

    There are times when one does create one's own ebuilds (v simple) or rpms (slightly more involved). For all other occasions, stow is a helpful tool :)