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Build From Source vs. Packages?

Posted by Cliff on from the what-do-you-do dept.

mod_critical asks: "I am a student at the University of Minnesota and I work with a professor performing research and managing more than ten Linux based servers. When it comes to installing services on these machines I am a die-hard build-from-source fanatic, while the professor I work with prefers to install and maintain everything from packages. I want to know what Slashdot readers tend to think is the best way to do things. How you feel about the ease and simplicity of installing and maintaining packaged programs versus the optimization and control that can be achieved by building from source? What are your experiences?"

3 of 863 comments (clear)

  1. My experience by TwistedSpring · · Score: 5, Informative

    is that compiling from source can sometimes even be slower executing depending on your compiler.

    Also, better to install from packages because:
    1. They WILL work
    2. They install fast
    3. They are easilly de-installed
    4. They are painless
    5. Dependencies are installed automatically sometimes, and other times packages are the only way to resolve a dependency loop
    6. Most other OSes since the dawn of the home computer use pre-compiled binaries, and nobody has complained
    7. It is surely the developers job to make sure it compiles properly and do all the compiler error headache solving

    Packages are just so much nicer. A lot of the time, I can get pentium-optimised versions of the ones I want, and if I can't then 386 optimised versions are OK by me. The difference in speed one sees is pretty much only for the anally retentive, it is so minimal.

  2. Re:Gentoo is something of a middle ground. by Chuck+Bucket · · Score: 5, Informative
    Thanks for the very good points and explaination of Gentoo, but *please* remember, you CAN use binary packages with Gentoo as well:
    • emerge -k (packagename)
    This must be pointed out before the normal Gentoo FUD starts getting thrown around. Also, before anyone slams Gentoo, they should read and learn: Dispelling the myths of Gentoo Linux, an honest review

    Cvswdsf
    --
    free ipod and free gmail!
  3. Stow! by Abcd1234 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Personally, I use both binary packages and source. Basically, if my distribution has binary packages, and they fit my needs (recent enough version, etc, etc), I'll just use the packages. Why not? However, if I do decide I need to build something from source, I like to use GNU Stow to manage my software. Basically, Stow allows you to install your from-source packages in a nice, sane hierarchy (eg: /usr/local/packages/this-program-1.0, /usr/local/pacakges/other-program-2.4), and then Stow does the job of setting up symlinks into the traditional Unix filesystem (typically /usr/local). So, by using Stow, you get the easy management features of packages (minus dependency resolution) for your from-source build software. It's definitely saved my life... and it's especially useful in an NFS environment, as you can export your packages directory and then use stow on the workstations to install individual packages as you see fit. Quite handy. :)