Slashdot Mirror
A Windows-Based Packaging Mechanism
FishWithAHammer writes "As part of my Google Summer of Code project, I'm working with WinLibre to develop a Debian-like software download system for free/open source software on the Windows platform. My reasoning is that open source software suffers from poor presentation. Most computer laymen, even those aware of open source software, often don't have any idea how to go about looking for it, but would use it if it were easier to access. What I have proposed is both a Debian-style packaging mechanism (capable of using Windows Installer MSIs or not, as the user wishes) and a software 'catalog' that takes the best aspects of Synaptic and Linspire's Click-N-Run system. Seamless, simple installation and removal of programs in as straightforward a way as apt-get (there will be a command-line tool as well). I'm posting to Slashdot to get the ideas of you lot who, while you may not be the target audience, can certainly provide insights that can be of value." Read on for more of this reader's ideas and questions.
There are areas that I'm personally not familiar with, and while I have done some research I would like the opinions of Slashdotters on some others. While at first I intend to set it up so that WinLibre (and I) run only one repository, I am curious as to how this sort of tool could be most useful to network administrators. Customizable repositories will be available; the code will be under the GPL, after all, so it'd be a little hard for them not to be available.
I'm also interested in the ideas of those who might be in a position to roll together packages. I intend to package a number of open-source language interpreters with the core software to allow special pre- and post-install scripts, as well as removal scripts. C#Script, Perl, and Python are definites, as is a Cygwin sh interpreter. We will have some program requirements — chief among them that no registry changes may be made by the program — but some of them, I fear, will require some flexibility; some programs really do require a way to edit the registry, for example, and I am considering offering some sort of tracked way to make registry changes so they can be rolled back on uninstallation of the program.
I'd love to hear what Slashdotters think of this. Think of it as a wishlist, but you don't get any damn ponies.
Ed Ropple (FishWithAHammer)"
There are areas that I'm personally not familiar with, and while I have done some research I would like the opinions of Slashdotters on some others. While at first I intend to set it up so that WinLibre (and I) run only one repository, I am curious as to how this sort of tool could be most useful to network administrators. Customizable repositories will be available; the code will be under the GPL, after all, so it'd be a little hard for them not to be available.
I'm also interested in the ideas of those who might be in a position to roll together packages. I intend to package a number of open-source language interpreters with the core software to allow special pre- and post-install scripts, as well as removal scripts. C#Script, Perl, and Python are definites, as is a Cygwin sh interpreter. We will have some program requirements — chief among them that no registry changes may be made by the program — but some of them, I fear, will require some flexibility; some programs really do require a way to edit the registry, for example, and I am considering offering some sort of tracked way to make registry changes so they can be rolled back on uninstallation of the program.
I'd love to hear what Slashdotters think of this. Think of it as a wishlist, but you don't get any damn ponies.
Ed Ropple (FishWithAHammer)"
You may want to look at wpkg (http://wpkg.org/)
It is a windows package management system based on dpkg.
We use it at work and it appears to work fairly well. Although I don't know for sure, as I'm not the PC admin and I don't run a Windows desktop :)
I just get to hear him saying how much easier it is to manage the PCs with it.
Ever stop to think
The second reason is Windows-specific. On UNIX, you can delete a file that applications have open, and it will not actually be removed from the disk until the last application with an open handle for it exits. On Windows, you can't do this. On *NIX, if you want up upgrade libfoo.so, you can delete it and then install the new libfoo.so, and every running application that uses it will keep using the deleted version until you restart it. On Windows, if you want to upgrade foo.dll, then it will tell you that you can't delete foo.dll because it is in use. This is why Windows installers often tell you to quit all applications. The work-around for this is to add a little script that replaces the old foo.dll with the new one on the next reboot (before anyone has tried loading it) and then continues.
I don't know if the second problem is fixed on Windows - I haven't used it for four or so years - but even if it has there are probably a lot of people out there writing installers who don't know that it's fixed.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
http://windows-get.sourceforge.net/ Maybe we can google these things?