Arch Linux

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Arch Linux and RPMs?

I would like to try using nspluginwrapper for 32-bit flash in Firefox. However, the instructions on

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _on_Arch64

look quite daunting. These two pages have RPM files...

http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?d … s=0&SeB=nd
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?d … s=0&SeB=nd

Is it possible in arch to install the RPM files on these two pages? Or is it necessary to use makepkg and pacman?

skottish

Forum Fellow

From: Here

Registered: 2006-06-16

Posts: 7,942

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Install rpmextract.

May-C

Member

Registered: 2007-12-28

Posts: 83

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

This package is in aur...
Maybe you want to try it:
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?d … s=0&SeB=nd

Last edited by May-C (2008-01-09 17:45:02)

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

If I use rpmextract to extract the files from the RPM, do I still need to use makepkg to install it?

wuischke

Member

From: Suisse Romande

Registered: 2007-01-06

Posts: 630

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Use  makepkg and pacman. Install all dependencies for these packages (some might be in AUR as well), build the packages and install them. You'll need the dependencies when you want to use the RPMs, too, but it's cleaner this way and easier to upgrade.

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Please help me understand the package management system for Arch Linux. I see the PKGBUILD file indicates dependencies. Therefore, once makepkg creates the package from the files in the tarball/RPM, shouldn't the package include the dependency/conflict information? And then when pacman is used to install the package, shouldn't it automatically install the dependencies?

wuischke

Member

From: Suisse Romande

Registered: 2007-01-06

Posts: 630

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Please understand that Flash is no official part of Arch64. On Arch i686 it is as simple as pacman -S flashplugin iirc, but community members have created some PKGBUILDs to make installing flash on Arch64 easier.

Now, there are two kind of dependencies: Build-time dependencies (they have to be installed when building the package) and run-time dependencies.
Unless you use a tool like yaourt to automate the process, you'll have to install build-time dependencies by hand. Remember, these are all community-maintained packages and not all of them are available with pacman. If something is not available with pacman -S pkgname, then search for it in AUR and build and install it first.
Run-time dependencies on the other hand should be installed automatically when installing the package, provided they are available in the repositories. If not, build and install the needed packages from AUR.

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Ah; thank you very much for clearing that up. It makes sense now.

May-C

Member

Registered: 2007-12-28

Posts: 83

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Take a look at AUR. There is a tool called yaourt. It makes it possible to install software from aur.
With yaourt -S <packagename> you can install it....
It is quiet handy... Thats the way I installed nsplugginwrapper

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

I am away from my computer right now. I am wondering...will this work:

nano /etc/pacman.conf (to enable unsupported repo)
pacman -Sy yaourt
yaourt -Sy nsplugginwrapper-flash

wuischke

Member

From: Suisse Romande

Registered: 2007-01-06

Posts: 630

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

No, there is no unsupported repo of which I know. But you can install yaourt from AUR and install nspluginwrapper-flash with yaourt and it will do all the work for you.

tony5429

Member

Registered: 2006-03-28

Posts: 1,017

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Okay; thanks. It seems odd to me though that yaourt has the most votes on the AUR and is not in the community repo, nor flagged as "safe".....

alex_anthony

Member

From: UK

Registered: 2007-09-25

Posts: 344

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

That's because it enables installing from the Unsupported section without checking PKGBUILDS for malicious commands. The devs dont like this.

jacko

Member

Registered: 2007-11-23

Posts: 840

Re: Arch Linux and RPMs?

Okay; thanks. It seems odd to me though that yaourt has the most votes on the AUR and is not in the community repo, nor flagged as "safe".....

as alex says, it's one of the biggest security risk a linux system could have, therefor the votes tell u its safe, but its not a safe concept to have it automatically installed.

so as is, it remains unsupported by arch linux officially. Anyone of the community members will verify its genius program.

Last edited by jacko (2008-01-09 23:26:11)