Quote:
Originally posted by Marel
Yes, i am using linuxpackages, yet i don't understand it. Does it mean that you have to install all packages the packager had on his machine, even if they contain files you don't need?
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You are close. This means that you need to install SOME of the packages the packager had on his machine, because when he compiled the program and made a package, the new package was linked against those packages.
To try and clarify, it would seem that some package that you installed was linked against postgresql and libpqxx. The packager no doubt had those installed. But you are not asked to install other packages that the packager may have had installed, because the package they created didn't link against EVERYTHING the packager had installed (just postgresql and libpqxx).
You may THINK you don't need to install postgresql and libpqxx, but you definatley do need to install them to get the packages linked against them to work correctly/completely.
This is not an uncommon problem with packages from linuxpackages.net. Many packagers contribute to their repository, and not all are careful about maintaining a clean build system or noting extra dependencies. You can't really blame linuxpackages.net for the problem. one solution would be to build packages yourself. Another solution would be for a repository to only accept binaries from compilers/packagers who demonstrated a thorough knowledge of compiling/packaging. A final solution woul be for a repository to have a team of trusted packagers and only accept build scripts from contributors (having the repository team do the actual compilation).
Sometimes, though, the problem lies in the installer, and not the packager. Many packagers clearly note all the required dependencies of their package, only to have their notes ignored. Linuxpackages.net does recommend including files to note dependencies (slack-required, slack-suggests, and slack-conflicts). Many people fail to read/understand these, though, and complain of dependency problems.
