[TriLUG] Deb vs. RPM (was Icecast.conf and debian)

[Tanner Lovelace]

Andrew Perrin wrote:

> The short answer is: yes, deb like rpm has a source package solution. I
> generally don't use it in this situation, though, because I'm concerned
> about "polluting" my system with packages from different release
> levels; if I build from source, I can install in /usr/local, guaranteeing
> that the install is in a separate place from package installs.


But what happens when you've installed a library that the package needed
in /usr/local, and then later you want to upgrade it.  How do you know
just what files were installed so that you make sure they get upgraded
properly (or removed, if need be).  What happens if the package makes
it into a stable release and you then want to uninstall it from
/usr/local?  How do you know what files the package installed?
make install doesn't usually give you an easy way to find that out.
A package management system, however, does.

 
> Frankly, I'm not sure I really grasp the value of source packages. The
> tarball solution is awfully well standardized by now, to the point where I
> generally don't even have to read the instructions, just untar, configure,
> make, make install. less INSTALL is usually just for when I manage to
> break something :)
> 


Yes, but see my above point about what files get installed.

I sometimes have trouble remember what I ate the day before. :-)
How am I supposed to remember what some particular package
installed when I typed make install?

Tanner
-- 
Tanner Lovelace | lovelace at wayfarer.org | http://wtl.wayfarer.org/
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