Ugly Huge BSD Monster

[Chris Dillon]

On Mon, 1 Sep 2003, Denis Troshin wrote:

> Almost every package I install requires a few other packages. This
> 'idea of using dependent packages' turns FreeBSD (and other
> unix-systems) to an ugly monster.

At least the dependencies are taken care of for you automatically in
FreeBSD, unlike some systems which require you to download and install
each depedency manually.

> For example, I don't need Perl or Python but a few packages I
> install require them.
>
> Does exist a programming under unix without these dependencies?
>
> P.S.  Under Windows it is possible to write not bad applications
> which depend just on libraries (KERNEL32, USER32, GDI32).  And these
> libs exist on every base system!!!

I have to deal with creating internal distribution packages for all
kinds of Windows software just about every day, and the dependencies
for Windows software can be much worse, especially for Microsoft's own
software which seems to be among the worst.  Microsoft Office XP alone
depends on (when installed on a base Windows 98SE installation), no
less than Microsoft Installer 2.x (MSI), Internet Explorer 6, MDAC,
and several other non-Office bits and pieces that don't come to mind
right now.  Granted, they are included in the Office XP installer and
it will install all of this by itself if you don't have any of them
installed, but they are indeed separate depedencies.

I break as many depedencies as I possibly can out of a particular
piece of software into separate distribution packages with their own
dependency chains.  The FreeBSD ports/packages system just happens to
already do this to a high degree, because it is a good idea.

-- 
 Chris Dillon - cdillon(at)wolves.k12.mo.us
 FreeBSD: The fastest and most stable server OS on the planet
 - Available for IA32, IA64, PC98, Alpha, and UltraSPARC architectures
 - x86-64, PowerPC, ARM, MIPS, and S/390 under development
 - http://www.freebsd.org

No trees were harmed in the composition of this message, although some
electrons were mildly inconvenienced.