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NetBSD Packages Collection Gets 'pkgviews'

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

jschauma writes "NetBSD's Packages Collection aka pkgsrc now has support for an experimental new framework called ``pkgviews''. This framework, finally allowing multiple versions of one package to co-exist without conflicts (among other great features), was first proposed by Alistair Crooks at EuroBSDCon 2002 and has been integrated into pkgsrc by Johnny C. Lam, who just posted a User's guide to the tech-pkg MailingList."

3 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. Depot begat Stow, who begat Pkgview? by sparcv9 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This looks very similar to GNU Stow, which a derivative of CMU Depot. By the way, we (a University right down the street from CMU) also used an internal derivative of Depot, called Parcel, but we've mostly phased that out now.

    --

    This is not a Fugazi .sig
    1. Re:Depot begat Stow, who begat Pkgview? by MobyTurbo · · Score: 5, Informative
      This looks very similar to GNU Stow, which a derivative of CMU Depot.
      They are well aware of that. From the article's link:

      Package views is similar in spirit to the Encap Package Management System, the GNU Stow Project, and the Carnegie Mellon University Depot Configuration Management system:

      http://www.encap.org/ http://www.gnu.org/software/stow/stow.html http://asg.web.cmu.edu/andrew2/depot/

      However, these projects have a philosophy of "install anywhere, use in one place", whereas package views departs from that model with a philosophy that can roughly be summarized as "install in one place, use anywhere".

    2. Re:Depot begat Stow, who begat Pkgview? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      May as well note that DragonFly is going to attempt something similar, but with an alternate grade of 'hack quality' -- the intention in DragonFly is to allow filesystem overlays (union mounts on crack?) such that packages can be totally "convinced" that they're the only version of themselves installed.

      It's hard to say (meaning, I haven't done my research) if DBSD's revisiting of the issue inspired the cleanup and release of pkgviews, or if that was proceeding quietly before Dillon-and-friends even thought to begin their stab.

      Either way, this looks like a good year for package management on *BSD. Sorry, RPM users. ;)