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| playground:package-messages [2018/03/12 19:36] – [FreeBSD] jeff | playground:package-messages [2018/03/12 20:08] – [Overview] jeff |
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| ===== Overview ===== | ===== Overview ===== |
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| At present, ''opkg'' and the package-generation system does not provide a formal way to display messages about the package to end users. | At present, ''opkg'' and the package-generation system does not provide a formal way to display //messages// about the package to end users. It does include a package //description//. |
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| Other package-management systems, such as ''dpkg'' on Debian-like systems, and ''pkg'' on FreeBSD-like systems provide a "package message" that can be viewed before installation, as well as displayed on installation. | ''pkg'' on FreeBSD-like systems provide a "package message" that can be viewed before installation, as well as displayed on installation. |
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| | It is not clear that ''dpkg'' or the RPM Package manager provide a similar facility. |
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| This page is a work-in-progress to define the use cases and success criteria for any future development of such a facility. At the time of this writing (March, 2018), there is not a schedule for such development. | This page is a work-in-progress to define the use cases and success criteria for any future development of such a facility. At the time of this writing (March, 2018), there is not a schedule for such development. |
| </code> | </code> |
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| | ==== Debian-based Systems ==== |
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| | Debian-based systems typically use the ''dpkg'' (''.deb'') format and tools, even if overlaid with more user-friendly tools, such as ''apt'', ''apt-get'', or GUI-based tools such as ''synaptic''. The ''dpkg'' format appears to be similar to that used by ''opkg'' although the archive/compression format used is different. |
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| | Debian packaging has a [[https://wiki.debian.org/Packaging|"jump page" in the Debian wiki]]. There is also a [[https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/packaging-tutorial/packaging-tutorial.en.pdf|good tutorial available]]. |
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| | https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ does not appear to describe a "package message" functionality. It does discuss the [[https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/#description|Description]] field. |
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| | The presence or absence of a "controlling terminal" is [[https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/#controlling-terminal-for-maintainer-scripts|discussed in the debian-policy documentation]]. As of March, 2018, this reads, in part |
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| | > Maintainer scripts are not guaranteed to run with a controlling terminal and may not be able to interact with the user. They must be able to fall back to noninteractive behavior if no controlling terminal is available. Maintainer scripts that prompt via a program conforming to the Debian Configuration Management Specification (see Prompting in maintainer scripts) may assume that program will handle falling back to noninteractive behavior. |
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| | [[https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/#s-maintscriptprompt|Prompting in maintainer scripts]] is also discussed. |
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| | ==== RedHat/Fedora/CentOS-based Systems ==== |
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| | RedHat, Fedora, and their derivatives use the [[https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/5/html/deployment_guide/ch-rpm|RPM Package Manager]]. The details of the package are generally [[http://ftp.rpm.org/max-rpm/s1-rpm-build-creating-spec-file.html|specified in a ''.spec'' file]]. The ''.spec'' file contains a "Description" section in the "human readable" preamble. |
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