xfce4 - how should this be packaged

neri · 2003-05-04 21:03:30

Hello,

I'm reletively new to Archlinux (less than 2 weeks) and to the
packagemanagement system. So I spent this past two weeks to get
familiar and install the software which I like.

I have a question about xfce4, which is still under heavy development but
already very useable. So I'd like to ask for some guidelines for this
package, because it is pretty big.

Currently xfce is one package which is located under x11. Thing have
changed very much and xfce4 consists of about 10 modules. Some of
them are mandatory some not.

My first idea was to create a new folder named xfce4, I assume that will be
the final release name because xfce version 3 and 4 will probably coexist
for some time. Then I wanted to make subfolders for the modules. Now I
think about the following - isn't XFCE4 a very large (additional) package
and shouldn't it be placed in /opt. The required dbh-package should go to
/usr.

1.
Did somebody already try to compile XFCE4 to --prefix=/opt/xfce4? Did it
work? Which config files needed to be touched?

2.
Did somebody already built packages and could provide some ideas for
the PKGBUILD's. (I thought the process could be automatized by
dependencies and makepkg --builddeps; on the other hand - using a new
directory could be interesting for a makeworld)

3.
How should things be organized? (Should be discussed soon, I think the
first release is not so far from now)

I don't even know if I can get through all of that. But I ask before I start,
because my box is a little bit older and there is a limit of coffein I can
stand :-)

bye neri

hApy · 2003-05-05 00:02:21

hey, yeah I myself am pretty new, but once you have a look at a few packages and just jump in and start trying to build a new package you will figure it out quite quickly.

basically, don't worry about making new folders (in terms of the repository) really, this can be taken care of by the package repository maintainers (I think..).

if you haven't done so already, run "abs" as root and it will make a copy of the package tree in your /local/abs dir. In there you will find lots and lots of PKGBUILD files, which are a good reference for how to build new packages. (in addition to the makepkg manpages of course). Probably the xfce3 package would have some similar ideas.

basically what you probably want to do is make a new directory in /usr/abs/local/ for each module you would like to package. (I don't know the exact format of the xfce4 distro, but if each module can be built independently, make a package for each module so the end user can easily choose what they would like to install, similar to the kde package method)

Also, I think that if it works, it usually turns out to be easier if you set the DESTDIR variable instead of using --prefix (if it's available). This varies from package to package.

I am probably saying too much without knowing anything about the xfce4 distribution, so keep that in mind.

Hapy.

Arielext · 2003-05-05 19:30:24

I think we have 2 options

1) make one big package for xfce4 and place it all under /opt/xfce4
2) make individual packages for each part of xfce4 and place them in /opt/xfce4

Anyway I think that the packages have to go in /opt/xfce4 because it's more of a DE than a window manager.
I've tried it today and I must say it's very nice! like a lightweight gnome.

The installation script for option 1 can come from the daily cvs snapshots they make, the second option can be pulled from their cvs directly.

neri · 2003-05-15 21:41:47

Greetings;

I have packed at leasr the very basics of xfce4 and it should be working this way. The yare very untested (just finished) and xffm is (still) not included. I have them in a package available here: www.justdreams.de/archlinux/downloads/mylocal.tar.bz2

I decided to let them go to /opt/xfce4. The very important package is xfce-utils, since it is creating a file in /etc/profile.d and adds a line to /etc/ld.so.conf. I roughly copied the strategy of the gnome-package so it should be somewhat consistent, I hope. I will try to build the missing packages asap. But due to some things in the near future I can't promise anything.

bye neri
PS: don't mind the other pkgs in the zipfile, watch the other thread for explaination

Arielext · 2003-05-16 08:54:09

thanx alot!

I think /opt/xfce4 is the way to go

netkrash · 2003-05-16 17:33:25

some screenshots?

i want to try it out

orelien · 2003-05-16 18:48:03

http://www.chez.com/orelien/archlinux/g … 202454.jpg
The first beta version of xfce4 should be released by the end of month...

netkrash · 2003-05-16 20:28:40

Forbidden
-----
You don't have permission to access the requested URL on this server.

:shock:

sarah31 · 2003-05-16 20:37:25

orelien wrote:

http://www.chez.com/orelien/archlinux/g … 202454.jpg
The first beta version of xfce4 should be released by the end of month...

nice i may just have to try it but tell me...can that huge belt of a dock at the bottom be narrowed?

are there still annoying sounds when you open and close windows?

orelien · 2003-05-16 21:05:55

This url seems to have a pb: copy and paste it by hand...
sarah: sure and no

neri · 2003-05-23 16:56:34

Hi,

Arielext wrote:

I think we have 2 options
1) make one big package for xfce4 and place it all under /opt/xfce4
2) make individual packages for each part of xfce4 and place them in /opt/xfce4
The installation script for option 1 can come from the daily cvs snapshots they
make, the second option can be pulled from their cvs directly.

Well, I built individual packages, cause it seemed to be easier. It doesn't make
any sense at all, 'cause all of the libs aren't needed by anything else than
xfce4 itself. Not yet, at least, but I don't think that will change so fast.
Actually I think it would be better to build 3 Packages:

XFCE4-basics: containing

libxfce4util
libxfcegui4
libxfce4mcs
xfce-mcs-manager
xfce-mcs-plugins
xfwm4
xfce4
xfdesktop
xfce-utils

this is needed, to run XFCE4 (well the xfdesktop is only for the background pic)

XFCE4-apps: containing

xfce4-iconbox
gtk-xfce-engine-2
xfprint
xffm

Applications, making XFCE4 useable, but gtk-xfce-engine-2 doesn't depend on xfce4
at all. It is just another gtk2 engine.

XFCE4-extras: containing

xfce4-systray
xfce4-mixer
xfce4-toys
xfce4-themes
xfwm4-themes
xffm-icons

For fun and eyecandy.

The problem now is, I don't see a way to build the first package, because the
compilation of xfce4 depends on an installed libxfcegui4. Even the compilation
of libxfcegui4 depend on libxfce4util and so on. I don't know how to realize that
into just one package and especially into just one PKGBUILD. Maybe an
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH to $startdir/pkg/opt/xfce4/lib/pkgconfig might work, but I
don't know that.

Does anyone has ideas on that problem, and should these packages be made more
complex at all or shall wa stay with all the single packages?

bye neri

Arch Linux

#1 2003-05-04 21:03:30

xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#2 2003-05-05 00:02:21

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#3 2003-05-05 19:30:24

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#4 2003-05-15 21:41:47

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#5 2003-05-16 08:54:09

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#6 2003-05-16 17:33:25

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#7 2003-05-16 18:48:03

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#8 2003-05-16 20:28:40

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#9 2003-05-16 20:37:25

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#10 2003-05-16 21:05:55

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

#11 2003-05-23 16:56:34

Re: xfce4 - how should this be packaged

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