Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

Shark · 2013-11-27 15:50:12

Hello

I have just read on Phoronix about Kwin as a standalone window manager. I think it is a great idea and a nice compensation for Compiz lovers. Then i went on "package hunt".

I found kwin-standalone package in AUR. Nice. Then i went to Debian package database and found that you can "officially" install the package. Ok - Arch have always had smaller repository. But then i found that Debian has oxygen package which i cannot find in AUR or in official repository.

By all the searching i am now really confused since i always have thought that Arch is more modular than other distros. Or am i missing something here? Is this less-modularity in Arch result of lacking in manpower?

Thanks for any clarifications on the subject!

Last edited by Shark (2013-11-27 15:55:21)

Trilby · 2013-11-27 15:57:19

Both kwin and oxygen are in extra/kdebase-workspace.

I don't know if this is not modular enough, but if you installed those in debian, it'd pull in pretty much every else in kdebase-workspace as a dependency anyways.

Shark · 2013-11-27 15:59:22

Yes, i know this. Just thinking if Debian, for example, splitting policy is more modular and less "HDD space hungry"?

WonderWoofy · 2013-11-27 16:09:23

The packaging differences between Arch and Debian are quite great. In Arch there is a tendency to provide one package with a set of options enabled that will likely provide the expected functionality for most users. Debian on the other hand, is happy to provide multiple packages for the same program with different options turned on and off.

Also, as you already noted, the Debian project is ginormous and their repos reflect that massive project size. With Arch, I think there is the general expectation that you should either be able to use the distribution's tools, or should not have a very hard time figuring them out. So if you want some variation of a package with different options (and therefore different dependencies), that the use of ABS and makepkg should be well within an Arch user's ability to comprehend and use.

Shark · 2013-11-27 16:13:24

Nicely put. I just don't know why have i had for years in my head that Arch is one of the most modular distro out there. It looks like that i have never spend so much attention to packages when i was on Ubuntu and Debian. Ouh, well, compiling time

Trilby · 2013-11-27 16:23:57

Well "modular" is one of those slippery words. In some ways arch may be considered modular: the user installs what they want, there is - for example - no DE installed with a base install. But take a tool like poppler: on arch you install poppler. done. In Ubuntoo (and I'd assume debian as well) you can install poppler if you just need it as a dependency for something else, but if you want to actually *build* that something else, you need to also install poppler-dev, and probably a half a dozen other poppler-* packages. In that way arch is not at all modular.

Scimmia · 2013-11-27 16:31:49

In general, Arch provides the packages as they are built/installed from upstream unless there is a compelling reason to split it up. Debian, on the other hand, wants each individual file to be it's own package (exaggeration, but it seems that way some times).

All part of Arch's vanilla package/KISS philosophy.

Last edited by Scimmia (2013-11-27 16:35:25)

Shark · 2013-11-27 16:46:07

Ok, get it now. I just haven't though that vanilla packaging also means respecting upstream "modularity".

Last edited by Shark (2013-11-27 16:46:30)

Arch Linux

#1 2013-11-27 15:50:12

Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#2 2013-11-27 15:57:19

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#3 2013-11-27 15:59:22

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#4 2013-11-27 16:09:23

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#5 2013-11-27 16:13:24

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#6 2013-11-27 16:23:57

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#7 2013-11-27 16:31:49

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

#8 2013-11-27 16:46:07

Re: Arch vs. Debian splitting package policy

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