Re: [SLE] Installing other distros RPM packages?

From: Sid Boyce (sboyce_at_blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 05/15/05

  • Next message: Ken Schneider: "[SLE] skype" 
    Date: Sun, 15 May 2005 21:19:01 +0100
To: suse-linux-e@suse.com

    Anders Johansson wrote:
    > On Sunday 15 May 2005 12:01, Hylton Conacher (ZR1HPC) wrote:
    >
    >>Thanks to all for the extended response. Basically we can say as SuSians
    >>that whilst it may be possible to install other distro RPM's on our
    >>system, or even Debian pkgs via Alien, the end result could be a VERY
    >>big mess as each distro would install the package in its own place
    >>thinking that other apps/dependencies are in certain places when in
    >>actual fact they may not be.
    >
    >
    > I disagree that it would be a very big mess. Most packages should install
    > nicely and run. dependencies and apps usually don't have to be in a
    > particular place, that's what paths are for.
    >
    > You might have problems with KDE apps and other things that have a hard coded
    > path to configuration files (run a KDE app in suse and it will expect to find
    > config files in /etc/opt/kde3, while a red hat app will install it elsewhere)
    > but for most things it should work fine.
    >
    >
    >>So, we have ruled out using other's RPMs/Pkgs but what about compiling
    >>those packages from source into a SuSE RPM and then installing it?
    >
    >
    > Sure, that usually works fine, as long as you have all the development
    > libraries installed that you need to build it.
    >
    > You may have to tweak the spec file a bit though, to change hard coded paths
    > like --prefix
    >
    >
    >>Surely Linux drivers/modules could be handled the same way ie Doesn't
    >>open source mean the source code is available?
    >
    >
    > In a way. It means the people who have access to the binaries also have access
    > to the source and can do certain things with it without asking permission or
    > paying for it.
    >
    >
    >>Is the RedCarpet app a partial solution to graphically compiling and
    >>installing source code from ANY Linux distro?
    >
    >
    > Nope. At least not yet. It is primarily a tool for distributing rpms that have
    > already been compiled. The compiling part has to be done elsewhere
    >
    >

    Use alien to break out the stuff, edit the spec file, etc., etc. It's
    not a straightforward task, I've just tried 3 src.rpm packages on SuSE
    9.3, none build. It would be simpler to grab src.tar.bz2 etc. files and
    build them on Mandrake, SuSE or whatever distro separately, checkinstall
    to generate the RPM for each. I've tried one Fedora package that built
    and installed fine, but didn't run, I've also had problems building
    other RH/Fedora src.rpm packages on SuSE, I've also been able to
    download RH packages and libraries that get installed in places other
    than where SuSE puts them and get them running, at times having to use
    a bash script with LD_PRELOAD. I'd only ever attempt it if the package
    was only available for the one distro, hoping I get lucky. The distros
    mess with the virgin sources too much.
    There are real compatibilty problems between distros, that why you see
    ISV's generating separate packages.
    The same mindset that crippled Unix is still alive, well and practiced -
    remember, human stupidity is infinite, you'll find it right in every
    Linux distro, except that the kernel and vanilla sources sit above it
    all, thankfully.
    Regards
    Sid. 

    -- 
Sid Boyce ... Hamradio License G3VBV, Keen licensed Private Pilot
Retired IBM Mainframes and Sun Servers Tech Support Specialist
Microsoft Windows Free Zone - Linux for all Computing Tasks
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