One Weird Trick To Simplify Package Management

### [@schmonz](https://twitter.com/schmonz)
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### [@schmonz](https://twitter.com/schmonz)
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# One Weird Trick To Simplify Package Management

## Amitai Schlair, The NetBSD Project

### New York City BSD User Group, 2014/03/05

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* install
* configure
* audit
* update
* uninstall
* enhance or supersede system software
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* development tools
* operational tools
* network services
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* port code to our platform
* integrate into our system
* provide consistent abstractions around arbitrary complexity
    * in other words, an API to managing software installations
* automate more
* think less
* screw up less
* try new things
* _save time_
* _focus on what matters_
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* outdated versions
* overly aggressively updated versions
* outdated security-audit info
* current audit info, but no fix
* bad packaging decisions:
    * leaky package abstractions (rough edges poking through)
    * surprising differences vs. artisanal hand-installation
* incomplete integration with the system
* _don't save us as much time as we'd like_
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* manage installation of one piece of software
    * OR a whole bunch
* manage installations for ourselves only
    * OR for everybody
* manage one system
    * OR a whole bunch
* manage from pre-built binaries
    * OR from source
* manage a single platform
    * OR multiple OSes and architectures
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* don't just "solve" the immediate problem
* zoom out and consider implications
* solve whatever permitted the problem to crop up
* solve a larger category that includes the problem
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* how long do you plan to keep using computers?
* it's worth optimizing your tools and habits
* don't just accept what's expedient for today's problem
* zoom out and consider how you'd solve related problems
* what if your answer to "how do I manage third-party software" didn't
  depend on hardware, OS, level of access, or anything else?
* what if you didn't have to think about it because you knew an answer
  that's always right?
* (what if you could manage software installations in the same way on
  every computer you'll ever have?)
    * Linux, Solaris, OS X, *BSD, Windows...
    * i386, powerpc, arm...
    * 32- and 64-bit
    * ...
* what if you could reclaim those cognitive resources for the rest of
  your life and spend them instead on things that matter to you?
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* I bet there are some, and Wikipedia lists a few
* I've pretty much only ever used `pkgsrc`
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* hard to learn all the usage options in detail
* hard to change internals (very complicated implementation, no tests)
* hard to get involved (`send-pr`, CVS, etc.)
* for maximum benefit, you must sometimes do hard things
* (without that, only most of the benefit)
* I have ideas about all these things (someday, more than ideas)
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* immediately feels familiar to any BSD user
* buildlink
* wrappers
* automatically makes software more portable
* a good 
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* my web/mail server (NetBSD VPS at Panix)
* my home server (ReadyNAS NV+)
* my home desktop (2006 Mac Pro, OS X 10.6)
* my work desktop (RH-derived Linux, no root access)
* a few consulting gigs ago (Windows)
* on occasion, other people's computers (family, etc.)
    * binary packages better for me in this case
* this laptop (2013 MacBook Air, OS X 10.9)
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* while you're watching, do this:
    * `cvs -danoncvs@anoncvs.netbsd.org:/cvsroot checkout pkgsrc`
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* `cd pkgsrc/bootstrap`
* `./bootstrap --unprivileged`
* `cd ../editors/ce && make install`
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* Think big
* Invest time to save time
* Use `pkgsrc`
* Help us make it even better
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