Packaging Complex Software

Amitai Schlair

The NetBSD Project

What's simple software?

Packaging simple software

What can add complexity?

Examples?

Example: qmail

qmail redistribution terms

From DJB's Information for distributors:

You are permitted to distribute a precompiled var-qmail package if (1) installing the package produces exactly the same /var/qmail hierarchy as a user would obtain by downloading, compiling, and installing qmail-1.03.tar.gz, fastforward-0.51.tar.gz, and dot-forward-0.71.tar.gz; (2) the package behaves correctly, i.e., the same way as normal qmail+fastforward+dot-forward installations on all other systems; and (3) the package's creator warrants that he has made a good-faith attempt to ensure that the package behaves correctly.

What to do?

qmail install paths

qmail users and groups

qmail patches

qmail run scripts

Results

Example 2: ce (Chet's Emacs)

Discussion

FIN