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Old 05-17-2008, 10:24 AM   #1
Blizzard
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Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Italy
Distribution: Linux Slackware 14.1
Posts: 35

Rep: Reputation: 1
Arrow KSlacky InfoPkg (package tool)


Hi,
I'm Giovanni Santostefano, a www.slacky.eu user.
I've programmed with Qt4 a GUI for pkgtool to make visual the package management without renouncing to the slackware philosophy and simplicity.
KSIP is only a frontend to the pkgtool and it's developed with the help and suggestions of slacky users, firts danix that is the webmaster, packager and tester.
I make this annouce because I think the actual 1.6 version is usable but many features are planned for the 1.7 .

The official site is: http://kslackyinfopkg.sourceforge.net/
where is accessible the forum (technical part is in English)
and the download page (not linked to the site yet) is:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/kslackyinfopkg/

If you visit slacky forum you can find in the packages section the topic with the tgz package. We don't link it on the site because there are some issues in the desktop icon descriptor that will be fixed in the 1.6.1

Let me know what you think about ksip project

bye
Giovanni

P.S.
I'm sorry if this topic may be intented as spam. It's a new GPL project that can help many peoples to manage the system and I hope that many peoples enjoy using it!
 
Old 05-17-2008, 12:38 PM   #2
bgeddy
Senior Member
 
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Liverpool - England
Distribution: slackware64 13.37 and -current, Dragonfly BSD
Posts: 1,810

Rep: Reputation: 232Reputation: 232Reputation: 232
First off - I've not installed KSlacky InfoPkg as I have a gui package management tool, (albeit one I don't really use and is somewhat limited), in Kpackage - the stock Slackware (KDE) package.

Secondly, KSlacky depends on QT4 - non Slackware libraries. Given that a Slackware user may want a gui package management tool - installing QT4 libs seems a bit much too me.

Please don't take my comments as being entirely negative as I'm sure some users may appreciate any developments around Slackware. I can see possibly the logic in "future proofing" a package for Slackware by developing around the QT4 libs but this does indeed seem to be "renouncing to the slackware philosophy and simplicity."

Somehow this project seems to be "going against the grain" when it comes to a purist Slackware install. Perhaps this is simply a "knee jerk" reaction against gui tools.

Admittedly these comments are perhaps misguided as I have not tested the product however the base requirement of QT4 stops me dead. When Slackware ships with QT4 I'll think differently.

To put it simply I believe any application supposed to be specific to Slackware should be based on the stock Slackware environment.

Why not release your product reliant on QT3 for now so a wider audience was available ? To be blunt it's almost like releasing a Gnome product and claiming it's for Slackware users. Admittedly some users install Gnome under Slackware but it's hardly mainstream.

Finally - I admit my comments may seem derogatory but hopefully they are constructive. This is in no way a criticism of your product (in fact, as stated, I have not tried the product) merely an observation as to the needs case and usability. The underlying dependencies seem unnecessary to a stock 12.1 install.

However - I'm sure all Slackware users will join me in applauding a contribution to our range of tools !!

Cheers.;
 
Old 05-17-2008, 01:52 PM   #3
Blizzard
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Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Italy
Distribution: Linux Slackware 14.1
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Hi bgeddy,
all you see is right! but the direction of Pat is for KDE, so in the next Slack releases I think we have KDE 4.3 and relatively Qt4.
In this case installing ksip have more sense.

In the future if you try it you will see that the ksip approach is simple and fast.
In my Slackware point of view I continue to no use GUI but I think this product may help lots of peoples in the software management.

In the future a big feature (that users requires to me) is to integrate a gui for slackyd (from another slacky user).
In this way that version of ksip will be similar to a synaptic-like program.

bye
Gio
 
Old 05-17-2008, 08:43 PM   #4
bgeddy
Senior Member
 
Registered: Sep 2006
Location: Liverpool - England
Distribution: slackware64 13.37 and -current, Dragonfly BSD
Posts: 1,810

Rep: Reputation: 232Reputation: 232Reputation: 232
OK - thanks for taking my comments on board as they where meant - i.e. not as a criticism of your work.

Anything that makes life easier is obviously a benefit to people - even though there may be a school of thought that rebels against a tool that tries to "second guess" an administrator's intentions.

Perhaps naively, I believe a gui tool may be capable of package management in an ideal world. Unfortunately it looks like there are so many variables in the equation that human intervention is the only viable option.

It seems that the "Slackware" way of doing things needs an adoption of these philosophies as in honoring a package developer's intentions.

In other words I really believe the Slackware way of package management and dependency management, (i.e. using the human brain), is the only way to go.

I wish you good fortune in your development.
 
Old 05-18-2008, 04:10 AM   #5
Blizzard
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Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Italy
Distribution: Linux Slackware 14.1
Posts: 35

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 1
Hi!
I'm with your way... and Pat's way but I think that world is going on the contrary
many peoples prefers to choose predefined options based on what a gui can make you able to do than order a command built first in their mind.
I'm strongly for "order" commands to the system and not "chose" commands. But we have to admit that have to chose operations and not read manuals to know how the system work has made the fortune of the modern computer diffusion. So lets work also on this point

Quote:
I wish you good fortune in your development.
Thanks!

bye
Giovanni
 
Old 08-18-2008, 02:54 PM   #6
Blizzard
Member
 
Registered: Oct 2007
Location: Italy
Distribution: Linux Slackware 14.1
Posts: 35

Original Poster
Rep: Reputation: 1
Hi!
with the introduction by Pat in the -current of KDE 4.1 more Slackware users will have qt4 libraries installed on the system.
So I've added some features to KSlacky InfoPkg and now it's arrived to the test 1.6.2 version.
If you want to try this version you can download it from the forum
http://kslackyinfopkg.netsons.org/fo...p?f=3&t=5#p114

From the official website you can also download the tgz of the 1.6.1 version
http://kslackyinfopkg.sourceforge.net

Bye!
Giovanni
 
  


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