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brando56894

Member

From: NYC

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 681

Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

I've always been confused by the AUR Vs. the ABS, even after reading both Wiki entries many times. I've used the AUR a few times and know it contains user created packages not yet in the repositories but what about the ABS? From what I understand is that the ABS allows you to compile any program from source that are in the official repositories, kind of like how debian includes -src packages in their repositories. Am I right or wrong about this?

Inxsible

Forum Fellow

From: Chicago

Registered: 2008-06-09

Posts: 9,183

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

yes. abs helps you install the apps in the repos using custom options specific to your computer, if you wish to do so. I have once had the need to do this with pcmanfm when some upstream bugs showed up in the pcmanfm package.

Last edited by Inxsible (2009-05-11 03:29:47)

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sand_man

Member

From: Australia

Registered: 2008-06-10

Posts: 2,164

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

if you do
yaourt -Sb pkgname
that will compile from source which, if I'm not mistaken, is the same as building the PKGBUILD from ABS.

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the_isz

Member

Registered: 2009-04-14

Posts: 280

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

If I got it right (and it took me some time, too), ABS is the build system that Arch is built with. That means, when the Arch Release Team releases a new package version, they adapt the respective
PKGBUILD and then use ABS to create a package from it which we are able to download through pacman.

This very same build system can (if installed through "pacman -S abs) be used by arch users. One option they have is to recompile each package that lives in the official repositories, adapting them to
their likes and using Arch in a way similar to e.g. gentoo.

The AUR is merely an online repository for user-created PKGBUILDs. You can download them from there and build them using the ABS.

That's how I understood it and I think it should be right. Hope this was clarifying.

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

This very same build system can (if installed through "pacman -S abs) be used by arch users.

The build system is installed as part of the pacman package - essentially, it's the makepkg script, and a few others. The abs package installs the scripts necessary for obtaining local copies of the PKGBUILDS and other files stored in Arch's SVN repo, along with templates for PKGBUILDS, install scripts, and the init script.

the_isz

Member

Registered: 2009-04-14

Posts: 280

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

The build system is installed as part of the pacman package - essentially, it's the makepkg script, and a few others. The abs package installs the scripts necessary for obtaining local copies of the PKGBUILDS and other files stored in Arch's SVN repo, along with templates for PKGBUILDS, install scripts, and the init script.

Ah ok, so when I'm exclusively using the ABS to compile packages from the AUR I don't even have to have the abs package installed. You learn something new everyday, thanks.

cb474

Member

Registered: 2009-04-04

Posts: 469

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

Somewhat related, suppose I want to install something from source that is not in the repos and not in AUR. Is there some simplified Arch way of doing this? (It's what I first thought ABS was for.) Or do you just do it the old fashioned traditional Linux way?

Xyne

Administrator/PM

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 6,965

Website

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

Somewhat related, suppose I want to install something from source that is not in the repos and not in AUR. Is there some simplified Arch way of doing this? (It's what I first thought ABS was for.) Or do you just do it the old fashioned traditional Linux way?

The Arch way is to create a PKGBUILD, build a package and then install it with pacman.

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Surgat_

Member

Registered: 2007-08-08

Posts: 317

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

You can write a PKGBUILD for that package by editing one of the PKGBUILD examples located at /usr/share/pacman. Just copy the PKGBUILD example you need (PKGBUILD.proto for standard source tarballs, PKGBUILD-svn.proto for svn-hosted source code, etc), rename it to PKGBUILD, fill in the variables needed and edit the build() script according to what you'd do if you installed the package the old fashioned traditional Linux way. You can find more help on the wiki.

cb474

Member

Registered: 2009-04-04

Posts: 469

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

Thanks for the explanations.

I don't seem to have PKGBUILD-svn.proto in /usr/share/pacman. What files are supposed to be in there by default? I have ChangeLog.proto, PKGBUILD.proto, and proto.install. If I'm missing some, where would I find them in the repos?

bangkok_manouel

Member

From: indicates a starting point

Registered: 2005-02-07

Posts: 1,556

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

Thanks for the explanations.

I don't seem to have PKGBUILD-svn.proto in /usr/share/pacman. What files are supposed to be in there by default? I have ChangeLog.proto, PKGBUILD.proto, and proto.install. If I'm missing some, where would I find them in the repos?

$ ls -l /usr/share/pacman/
total 56
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  368 2009-01-07 09:19 ChangeLog.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1310 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-cvs.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1371 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-darcs.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1275 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-git.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1201 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-gnome.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1388 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-haskell.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1231 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-perl.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1227 2009-03-31 20:54 PKGBUILD-svn.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  738 2009-01-07 09:19 PKGBUILD.proto
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  285 2009-03-31 20:54 proto-gnome.install
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  250 2009-03-31 20:54 proto-haskell.install
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  438 2009-03-31 20:54 proto-info.install
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  720 2009-01-07 09:19 proto.install
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1139 2009-03-31 20:54 rc-script.proto

comes with abs IIRC.

Surgat_

Member

Registered: 2007-08-08

Posts: 317

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

$ LANG=C pacman -Qo /usr/share/pacman/PKGBUILD-svn.proto 
/usr/share/pacman/PKGBUILD-svn.proto is owned by abs 2.3.2-2

You're right

brando56894

Member

From: NYC

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 681

Re: Using ABS Vs. Downloading and Compiling from AUR

Thanks for the explanations. Ill probably never use the ABS though...