From: Massimiliano Mirra <list@...>
Date: 2002-01-08T11:47:11+09:00
Subject: Re: APT-like RAA? (was: Re: snippet exchange)

On Tue, Jan 08, 2002 at 09:30:49AM +0900, Esteve Fern�ndez wrote:
> Hmmm, I think there's another approach. What about using EPM? EPM is the
> software used at Easy Software Products -makers of CUPS-, it simplifies the
> generation of packages for different platforms (Debian, RedHat, Solaris, HP/UX)
> plus another one: "portable", a tarball with a couple of install/remove scripts.

Uhmmm... not easy to consider this.  Let's see.

That's what we (at least I) want to end up with:

1) Issue a search command on a local database, say I'm looking for
matrix math: raa search matrix math

2) Get more information about one of the resulting entries: raa show libmatrix

3) Go online.

4) Issue a download and install command: raa install libmatrix

5) Find everything done and set up.  I can already `require "libmatrix"'.

Basically EPM would be great for integrating modules in one's own
distribution, but wouldn't satisfy points 1 and 2.  There would be in
fact no database.  I'd rather go fo an all-ruby solution that can be
used uniformly on all systems, though EPM has many interesting points.

> Ruby might take "portable" as its format, and imagine: a kind of "integrator
> tool" so every package could be turned into a native .deb, .rpm, etc. Something
> I really dislike about CPAN is that its modules are not integrated in my Debian
> box as .deb's Bye.

I see, but I'm afraid we'll have to think beyond than our Debian
distros. 


Massimiliano