Arch Linux

solarwind

Member

From: Toronto

Registered: 2008-03-18

Posts: 546

Packages

Debian packages usually come in several forms, such as:

someproject.deb - Binary.
someproject-headers.deb - Headers.
someproject-dev.deb - Headers/source code.
someproject-lib.dev - Libraries

But in Arch Linux, I only see one package per project. What if I want to maintain a bloat-free system without any development source code or headers and ONLY binary. What do I do then? In Debian, I can chose to install only the binary packages. How do I do this in Arch Linux.

And please don't tell me Arch Linux is not Debian. I already know that. I just want to know how to do something similar in Arch Linux.

fwojciec

Member

Registered: 2007-05-20

Posts: 1,411

Re: Packages

I just want to know how to do something similar in Arch Linux.

You can't.  As a user you have no way of affecting how packages are packaged, so you can't do it in Arch.  Unless you repackage everything yourself, but that's almost like forking Arch or starting a new distro.

DonVla

Member

From: Bonn, Germany

Registered: 2007-06-07

Posts: 997

Re: Packages

Debian packages usually come in several forms, such as:

someproject.deb - Binary.
someproject-headers.deb - Headers.
someproject-dev.deb - Headers/source code.

these are only _one_ package, but split, because of the (sometimes not so comprehensible and annoying) debian packaging policy.
there is no obvious reason to do so.
some packages need this though, like kernel and kernel-headers (actually it's not the same package), and perhaps there are some more.
arch has a doc splitting "policy". packages with large doc files have these files in a separate <packagename>-doc package. eg, not everyone needs the gtk developer´s docs.

someproject-lib.deb - Libraries

sometimes libraries are not directly related to the actual package (like xineui and xine-lib), so you have this also in arch.

What if I want to maintain a bloat-free system without any development source code or headers and ONLY binary.

as you perhaps have noticed most of the *-dev/-headers files in debian are only some kb big (and half of the .deb package are the debian related files). these header files are small and fill perhaps only some megabytes on your system. but on the other hand they are useful if you want to  build something from source. there is no use to search for missing dev/header files. they are already installed.

vlad

fukawi2

Ex-Administratorino

From: .vic.au

Registered: 2007-09-28

Posts: 6,231

Website

Re: Packages

What if I want to maintain a bloat-free system without any development source code or headers and ONLY binary. What do I do then? In Debian, I can chose to install only the binary packages.

Arch is a binary distribution when it comes to the packages and repos, so when you install packages from the repos (using pacman for instance), then you are getting the binary packages.

Source 'packages' are available through the ABS.

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