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I think the main concern here is the state of GUI apps in macOS and Windows. Popular apps in these platforms are mostly closed-source, even for personal side pr

I think the main concern here is the state of GUI apps in macOS and Windows. Popular apps in these platforms are mostly closed-source, even for personal side projects. For the few open source GUI apps, no package manager provides support for building GUI apps from source. I wish package managers would make it easier to build GUI apps from source, or even provide their own binary packages for GUI apps. I really feel reluctant to install most GUI apps on macOS and Windows because I can't trust that the build/distribution platforms for these apps are properly secured.

Benjamin_Dobell 10y ago
Being open source isn't going to stop someone replacing a download on a hacked server. Also, the package manager you're after is brew, specifically 'brew cask', which installs GUI apps. EDIT: By the way, building from source doesn't stop someone replacing the source package the package manager uses. Sure you can look at the code in the package, but are you going to? It's more likely you'd check the code on Github, if at all.
- soraminazuki 10y ago
  I'm mostly worried about the security of the build/distribution platform, which is why I would would prefer a reputable package manager to provide binaries built and distributed using their own infrastructure. If this isn't feasible, better support for building from source would at least ensure that the binaries are correct, provided that your own computer isn't compromised. Homebrew Cask currently can't address this kind of situation, since the binary is still built and distributed from non-reputable sources. The correctness of the source code itself is surely a problem, but it's better than having to trust random binaries built and distributed from non-reputable sources.
  - simooooo 10y ago
    The leakyness here was the Dev, would likely be the Dev again, just pre-github
- rovr138 10y ago
  The cask description is misleading though. Cask deals with applications which are too complex to compile (/shrug) but provide an .app or .pkg, or with things that only provide a compiled .app or .pkg (not open source) brew has GUI applications. Easiest one I can think of (because I use it) is Pidgin.
cbhl 10y ago
So you want a Linux-like package manager on Windows/macOS?
- soraminazuki 10y ago
  Yes. No such package manager for GUI apps currently exists on Windows/macOS AFAIK.

Benjamin_Dobell 10y ago

Being open source isn't going to stop someone replacing a download on a hacked server. Also, the package manager you're after is brew, specifically 'brew cask', which installs GUI apps. EDIT: By the way, building from source doesn't stop someone replacing the source package the package manager uses. Sure you can look at the code in the package, but are you going to? It's more likely you'd check the code on Github, if at all.

soraminazuki 10y ago
I'm mostly worried about the security of the build/distribution platform, which is why I would would prefer a reputable package manager to provide binaries built and distributed using their own infrastructure. If this isn't feasible, better support for building from source would at least ensure that the binaries are correct, provided that your own computer isn't compromised. Homebrew Cask currently can't address this kind of situation, since the binary is still built and distributed from non-reputable sources. The correctness of the source code itself is surely a problem, but it's better than having to trust random binaries built and distributed from non-reputable sources.
- simooooo 10y ago
  The leakyness here was the Dev, would likely be the Dev again, just pre-github
rovr138 10y ago
The cask description is misleading though. Cask deals with applications which are too complex to compile (/shrug) but provide an .app or .pkg, or with things that only provide a compiled .app or .pkg (not open source) brew has GUI applications. Easiest one I can think of (because I use it) is Pidgin.

cbhl 10y ago

So you want a Linux-like package manager on Windows/macOS?

soraminazuki 10y ago
Yes. No such package manager for GUI apps currently exists on Windows/macOS AFAIK.