Distro update methods [was RE: market continues to dive!]

[dattaway at attaway.net]

On Tue, 16 Jul 2002, Brian Densmore wrote:

> > From: Michael
> >... Besides I'm not overly pleased
> > with either the deb or rpm package format and was thinking of making
> > my own just for kicks. ;)

> You seriously need to check out gentoo. It use a portage system, similar
> to the ports method used by FreeBSD. And if that doesn't suit you, you
> should check out FreeBSD. I didn't like it when I tried it, but it was a
> long time ago. But many people do like it. It is a good OS, with a good
> updating methodology. I really wish Linux had one, other than portage.
> Don't get me wrong, I really like portage, but Linux needs one that can
> do the same thing for compiled packages. So if you want to make your own
> please take the portage system as your base. ;')

I *really* like gentoo's portage.  Tarballs are easy to manipulate, but 
the best part is having the source tree right there to play with.  If I 
want to know the intimate details of a package, I can browse the source, 
make changes, and try it out immediately.  Nothing is sweeter for fixing 
bugs or adding cool hacks.  Its like having an entire automated machine 
shop in your garage with your car right there.  The possibilities are 
endless.

Why drive a car when you can ride a bike?
http://attaway.net                 http://counter.li.org   user #142150