Re: [seul-edu] Packaging seul-edu apps?

[Ben Armstrong <synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca>]

On Thu, 24 Feb 2000, Doug Loss wrote:
> Ben Armstrong wrote:
> > We're in the process of trying to identify, first, what we have that
> > is suitable for children, and then what there is "out there" that is
> > suitable for children, so we can package it.
> > 
> When doing this I think it's important to also package apps for hardware
> other than x86.  I'm thinking specifically about m68k and PPC, since
> Macs that could run Linux would use one or the other of those.  Macs, of
> course, show up fairly often in schools :-).  If we can help schools get
> more use out of computers they think of as obsolete and unusable by
> putting Linux on them, we all win.

In Debian, we don't package "for" specific hardware.  We package for i386,
and the port happens "by magic". :)

For example, my package, 'typist' appears to be available for these
architectures under Debian: 

ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-alpha/games/typist_2.2b-4.deb
ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-arm/games/typist_2.2b-4.deb
ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-i386/games/typist_2.2b-4.deb
ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-m68k/games/typist_2.2b-4.deb
ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-powerpc/games/typist_2.2b-4.deb
ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/dists/frozen/main/binary-sparc/games/typist_2.2b-4.0.1.deb

In short ... it is supported under all architectures Debian supports.

When a package fails to build under a specific architecture, the
maintainer hears about it pretty quickly, and pressure is applied in the
form of a "Release Critical" bug (severity "important") that must be
fixed, or else the package gets removed from the next Debian release.
I had to fix at least one such bug in this package recently, as it
wouldn't build under the Sparc architecture.

> > It would be nice if there were a more detailed system for listing packages
> > than Freshmeat - some place where a "Distribution status" for each distro
> > could be listed with the following fields (per distro):
> > 
> > - Status: "packaged", "not packaged", "in progress"
> > - Comments: comments from the distro as to status (could include link
> >             to work-in-progress or discussion in public archive)
> > - Version: version(s) available for this distro
> > - Download: link to page(s) at distro web site where package(s) can be
> >             downloaded
> > 
> > I'd like this sort of listing to be broader than just SEUL/edu listings
> > and encompass also "edutainment" or games & other packages suitable for
> > kids.
> 
> I think this is a very good idea, and one that should be extended to all
> sorts of apps.  I know there's a database that lists most of the
> packaged rpms, and I'm sure there's something for debs, but I don't know
> of anything that lists great gobs of apps and their packaging status.

So, do you think Freshmeat would be interested in this sort of indexing
effort?  Or another one of the Linux portal sites?  Perhaps VA's
linux.com?  I'm in unfamiliar territory here -- dealing with
people/organizations "out there" in the Linux community at large. 

Ben
-- 
    nSLUG       http://www.nslug.ns.ca      synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca
    Debian      http://www.debian.org       synrg@debian.org
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