[lotuseclat79]

Developer Interview webpage here.

PackageKit aims to be a cross-distribution solution for installing software, using each distributions native package management tools - i.e. Yum in Fedora and Apt in Ubuntu. It uses technologies like PolicyKit and DBus to make the whole process easier and is being developed rapidly! Screenshots and a developer interview in this article.

-- Tom

[TRS-80 vet]

Originally Posted by lotuseclat79

Developer Interview webpage here.

PackageKit aims to be a cross-distribution solution for installing software, using each distributions native package management tools - i.e. Yum in Fedora and Apt in Ubuntu. It uses technologies like PolicyKit and DBus to make the whole process easier and is being developed rapidly! Screenshots and a developer interview in this article.

-- Tom

Cross distribution?

So it works with different versions of the same OS?

Or with several different Linux OS's (multi-boot pc's)?


Still a newb here sort of; I just know some posts have good info...

This package manager is part of the boot loader/manager? Or does it have to be loaded into each OS install?

[lotuseclat79]

Originally Posted by TRS-80 vet

Cross distribution?

So it works with different versions of the same OS?

Or with several different Linux OS's (multi-boot pc's)?


Still a newb here sort of; I just know some posts have good info...

This package manager is part of the boot loader/manager? Or does it have to be loaded into each OS install?

Hi TRS-80 vet,

Cross-distribution is being able to install one software on different platforms where a platform is defined as a unique architecture (chip, OS) that is different for each different chip and OS. In this case, however, the different Linux OSes may have different kernel levels, and could be on multi-boot PCs or not.

Package managers are not part of the boot loader/manager process. Package management happens at what is called the user level and can be either system administration related or user account related depending on the application being installed - permissions may be required, or not.

The point with this new effort is to integrate the interfaces so that it takes out all of the unique interfaces of different OS package managers (Yum, Synaptic, Apt-get, etc) on different Linux platforms, and yields one interface for all. In other words, it hides the unique interfaces (probably actually uses them) but you don't have to deal with the differences between different OSes - at least once the tool is distributed and becomes a standard tool used in the Linux realm.

-- Tom

[TRS-80 vet]

Thanks tomknowledgebase...

Originally Posted by lotuseclat79

Hi TRS-80 vet,

Cross-distribution is being able to install one software on different platforms where a platform is defined as a unique architecture (chip, OS) that is different for each different chip and OS. In this case, however, the different Linux OSes may have different kernel levels, and could be on multi-boot PCs or not.

check.

Package managers are not part of the boot loader/manager process. Package management happens at what is called the user level and can be either system administration related or user account related depending on the application being installed - permissions may be required, or not.

so there must be one instance of PackageKit install per OS load. ?


RN: ... I do know that, like a lot of open source projets, we could really use some UI/interaction experts.

UI/interaction experts? enduser feedback? From a non-developer/compiler? Tell 'em to send it.

It doesn't say if the initial release is only part of Fed 9, or available otherwise...

[lotuseclat79]

PackageKit would be installed separately once per any Linux OS distribution. It would then be available to use to install new packages after every boot up, i.e. it would be a substitute for the lower level package management tools that are now distributed with each different Linux distribution.

Until and unless PackageKit were adopted as a standard across all Linux distributions - it would still need to be installed separately, and the lower level tools would still be a part of the distributions even if it became a standard - i.e. it appears to be a high level user interface to normalize (ease) user actions/knowledge in terms of dealing with different Linux distributions.

-- Tom

[TRS-80 vet]

Originally Posted by lotuseclat79

Developer Interview webpage here.

PackageKit aims to be a cross-distribution solution for installing software, using each distributions native package management tools - i.e. Yum in Fedora and Apt in Ubuntu. It uses technologies like PolicyKit and DBus to make the whole process easier and is being developed rapidly! Screenshots and a developer interview in this article.

-- Tom

DEFINITELY link in sticky.