discuss: Versioning of HOWTO tar.gz packages
Subject:
Versioning of HOWTO tar.gz packages
From:
Dan Armak ####@####.####
Date:
28 Jul 2001 19:06:54 -0000
Message-Id: <01072822080907.04135@localhost>
Hello,
I would like to raise the issue of howto tar.gz packages. These have no
official version numbers or timestamps, and the file access/modification
times are apt to be lost when downloading via HTTP with some programs e.g.
prozilla.
I am a developer for the Gentoo Linux distribution. Our distribution includes
a ports system (called Portage) similar to many aspects to that of OpenBSD.
The usual way of installing a package is asking the system to do so via a
script which normally includes a version number and MD5 checksums for the
files it downloads.
This becomes impossible with howto tar.gz packges (i.e. the ones that include
all howtos in a specific format). Because all releases have the same exact
filename, checksums cannot be used and versioning becomes meaningless.
We have considered using timestamps for versions, which would make possible
the periodic update of the checksum information. However, this requires
either that the filenames include the timestamps or, that inside the archive
there is e.g. a hidden file which provides this info. Again, file mtimes
cannot be always relied upon, though it *should* work for the files inside
the archive. The HOWTO-INDEX might be considered.
Of course, changing the filenames would probably cause all sorts of trouble
with all the links to them. You might use symlinks, and have e.g.
Linux-HOWTOS.tar.gz -> Linux-HOWTOS-20010728.tar.gz, always pointing to the
latest version.
Hopefully a good and comfortable solution will come up.
Other than this, you are doing a great job. Keep going!
--
Dan Armak
Gentoo Linux Developer
Matan, Israel
