Carlos E. R. wrote:
The 03.10.05 at 01:30, Philipp Thomas wrote:
checkinstall
Only if you are unwilling or unable to understand rpm spec files and the mechanisms involved in building software packages (automake, autoconf, libtool etc.) should you use a super cluge like checkinstall.
I'm too lazy O:-)
Believe me, it's really rewarding if you can do without checkinstall as you have far more possibilities, including using a build root for installing a package so that you don't install into the running system when you build the package.
I believe you, of course! X-)
But unless I see a nice howto, of the "for dummies" type, I don't think I'll try.
I don't blame you. I've seen this format of thread repeated for as long as I've been using linux (about 5 years). Someone will as for a simple way to do something, and you will get replies that say, "All you have to do is..." followed by a complex task with not a single hint on how to do it besides rtfm. As often as this particular thread is repeated, I have yet to see someone give a 5 step approach as to how you can write a spec file and build an rpm in under 10 minutes, which is what I think you are looking for. Take it from me, you can safely use checkinstall as long as you remember that yast won't know how to upgrade YOUR rpm later on--namely because yast will depend on seeing the package using a specific naming format and so forth. But given how long it takes most distros to implement the latest version of anything, that probably won't happen anytime soon. Also, recognize that ensuring that all the dependencies are fulfilled is up to you. That shouldn't be a problem since tarballs always have a readme with the dependencies listed. If you feel comfortable with that, go ahead and use checkinstall. It is by far the easiest way to make an rpm. It also makes uninstalling a snap. That way, if you ever want to switch to a suse package later, you just uninstall your own with rpm first. Unfortunately, many linux people take the time to learn something then assume that everyone else has that much time on their hands. After it becomes easy to them, they expect everyone else to find it as easy as they do. Not that learning to write a specfile would not be worth your time, but perhaps you feel your time could be better spent. If this is the case, you can safely ignore any comments to the contrary. Just my 2 cents. John S.