[osol-discuss] Re: rpm vs pkgadd (again!)

[Justin Zygmont]

On Fri, 5 Jan 2007, UNIX admin wrote:

>> exactly which needed features are those that rpm has
>> that pkgadd does not ?
>
> That's really for Martin and not for me to say, since he seems to be the one preferring `rpm` to `pkgadd` and friends.
>
> But since you're asking me, I'll tell you what I plan to do to `pkgadd`. I plan to extend it such that by setting SUNW_PKG_REVCHECK=true or similar in the pkginfo will make `pkgadd` revision aware.
>
> I have to think about it some more, since I absolutely and without a doubt want my ehancement to be both backward and forward compatible with the present `pkgadd`.
>
> There are principally several major features `pkgadd` is lacking, and those are:
>
> if I need REV 1.0 or 2007.01.05.07 of some dependency,
> and I have REV 3.2 or 2007.04.18.23 of the said software,
> `pkgadd` should be able to recognize that I have satisfied the min REV required, and plough on instead of doing a string-like check and *insisting* that I need *exactly* REV 1.0 (or 2007.01.05.07, for example).
>
> That right there is one of the biggest weaknesses of the System V packaging.
>
> The second thing is how upgrades are handled; this, however, is an issue that can be addressed separately.
>
> For example, on SGI's IRIX, `inst` is smart enough to note the difference between two same "subsystems" of a different revision: if a newer subsystem *does not* have files that the old one does, the now unnecessary files will be automatically and transparently removed by `inst`. This is an upgrade feature of `inst` that I find simply and without any doubt phenomenal!!!
>
> Both of the aforementioned issues and scenarios is where `inst` excells. I have never worked with a UNIX/Linux software management subsystem as elegant and as intelligent as `inst`!
>
> If SGI should tank tomorrow, *one* technology I would want to preserve from IRIX at all costs (even paying for it out of my own pocket!) would be `inst`. It is simply ingenious.

They're pretty much tanked already:)  IRIX is dead, if they open 
sourced inst, maybe you can find out more about this functionality you 
like so much, i'm not sure if they ever released that part of their OS or 
not.