Re: GNUstep directory layout

[Pascal Bourguignon]

> Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 19:43:58 +0100
> From: Stefan Urbanek <urbanek@host.sk>
> 
> On 2002-09-11 20:00:32 +0200 Lars Sonchocky-Helldorf
> <Lars.Sonchocky-Helldorf@bbdo-interone.de> wrote:
> 
> >> I agree.  The  "Developer" domain is there only  because the
> >> Developer tools are packaged and sold  separately by NeXT
> >> Computer, Inc. and now by  Apple  Computer,  Inc.  There  is  no
> >> good  reason not  to  store developer applications into the
> >> /System/Applications directory.
> > 
> > This has changed a bit, they don't sell their dev tools at
> > all. You get them with a retail version of Mac OS X (although on a
> > separate CD) or you might download them for free. Maybe that
> > Developers directory is just a left over from those times. But if
> > you install them temporarily on one users machine (to check
> > something for instance) you can easy get rid of them
> > afterwards. But as Richard already pointed out, there are those
> > rpm thingies on Linux machines for tht purpose.
> > 
> 
> The packaging system is fine, but I think it was 'invented' because
> applications were spread in many directories (/usr/bin for
> executables, /usr/share for data, etc.). In GNUstep we have
> bundles. If user wants to install an application (framework or any
> other bundle), he/she just copy the application bundle in to right
> place. Removing is similar: just delete the application or move it
> using workspace into recycler.  This is very simple and the user
> does not need to tackle with some installer application or
> tool. Packaging system is not really necessary for gnustep, just in
> few cases like tools with resources.
> 
> I think, we are just too used to unix. GNUstep/Cocoa is more than
> 'another object library', it  has its phylosophy and its feel. Why
> to restrain it?
> 
> Stefan

The installation or deinstallation  of a package (.pkg) involves, like
that of  a RPM, the  execution of scripts  to prepare or  complete the
action.  Granted,  for simple applications, there's no  need for these
scripts, and simply moving the application package (.app) is enough to
install or  deinstall.  

But you  can imagine easily  more sophisticated systems needing  to do
things such as creating passwd/group entries, inserting crontab, inetd
or inittab entries,  or setting things up to load  a kernel module now
and at  boot time, etc.   An alternative could  be to do this  kind of
stuff from within the application, but it seems to me that's better to
do it  from an Installer.app  run once by  root rather than  by random
users launching the application.


(Which does not  remove that for simple application,  I too am happier
when I can just move the .app to the trash, but I always have a doubt:
is it really cleanly removed?)

-- 
__Pascal_Bourguignon__                   http://www.informatimago.com/
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 The name is Baud,...... James Baud.