"Rasputin" <rasputin / shrike.mine.nu> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:20030507152152.GA50446 / shrike.private.submonkey.net...
> I think I mentioned this once before, but the BSD package system
> approach is simple and elegant, I think.

From what you write below ("a dozen makefiles") doesn't necessary sound
simple to me.  Some notes below.

> pros:
> -  no central site, so traffic is spread evenly around the site
> - no need for people to use proprietary formats
> - the system can figure out what platform (and even OS - see
> bootstrap-pkgsrc project) it is running on, there's no need for
> 1 package per platform as with precompiled packages)
> - frankly, anything make can do, ruby could do standing on its head.
>
> cons:
> - if you build this into ruby, how do you handle cases where you
> install a ruby module that requires a native library? (This isn't
> a failing in pkgsrc, but needs considering).

Precompile shared libs could be provided at a package's source site.

> - you need to find a way to update pkgsrc
> Probably more in the Ruby-specific case, I don't know.
>
> Updating on NetBSD is done via CVS, but there's no reason why each
> package couldn't load its config from a website rather than a directory.

I think online update is not always feasible.  There should at least be
the option of a offline update from CD or whatever.

> If the functionality was built into a small base distribution of ruby, I
> don't see why it couldn't even grab modules at runtime if a require
> failed.

Again, not every host is always connected to the web.

> If you want to define things like ruby-sumo, it's a piece of
> cake, you just define a 'meta-pkg' which is nothing but a list of
> dependencies. Running 'make install' (or 'ruby --install
> modules/metapkg/sumo') then handles getting the requirements for you
> using the same framework.

Sounds interesting.

> Sorry this is off-topic, I just wanted to point out alternatives to CPAN
> we might want to emulate. I'm not on commission from NetBSD or anything,
> if you want to use another system feel free (can I vote for BSD license
> not GPL though) that's fine with me.

I don't think it's off topic.  Apparently this issue ponders around for a
while and awaits its resolution.

Regards

    robert