4 ms·

The example of modifying `ls` struck me as something that ought to be possible in any Linux distribution with minimal effort. Instead, we have a situation where

The example of modifying `ls` struck me as something that ought to be possible in any Linux distribution with minimal effort. Instead, we have a situation where most people use binary packages, so the source isn't even available to modify. And even if you run a source-based distro like Gentoo, editing those sources by hand can still be quite intimidating. Version control makes it easier to experiment fearlessly (although it's still possible to brick your system...).

seiferteric 9y ago
It's really not too hard on a Debian system to build a modified package. All sources should be available if you have the src repos in your sources.list. You just download the src package, modify, rebuild and install. https://wiki.debian.org/BuildingTutorial https://wiki.debian.org/BuildingTutorial
- traverseda 9y ago
  Return 403 for me...
  - mschuster91 9y ago
    Long story short: 1. uncomment the deb-src lines in /etc/apt/sources.list; if you do not have these, simply copy each deb line and have it begin with deb-src. 2. apt-get update 3. apt-get source <packagename> 4. cd <packagename>-<version> 5. (do modifications here) 6. dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc 7. install the .deb packages in the parent directory with dpkg -i Do note, this does not properly embed your modifications in a patch or whatever, I haven't figured out how to do this and lose my mind at the same time.
traverseda 9y ago
It could go a long way towards getting people involved in FOSS systems development. I think you could avoid a lot of those bricking issues using btrfs snapshots.
- deckar01 9y ago
  btrfs snapshots are the source of all of my OpenSUSE crashes. I'm not sure what the issue is, but eventually it fills up my disk silently with snapshots until the system grinds to a halt.
  - krylon 9y ago
    I have three machines that run OpenSuse, my desktop and two laptops (well, one laptop and one very low-end IdeaPad). On my desktop, I run into the same problem as you; I think my system partition is just a little small. On the laptops, I have not had any trouble with snapshots. I do like the idea, though - if an update breaks anything, just roll back to the last working state. Windows did this 15 years ago, it was about time Linux distros started catching up.
andrey_utkin 9y ago
> And even if you run a source-based distro like Gentoo, editing those sources by hand can still be quite intimidating. Not so much hassle. Way 1: 1. put your patch to /etc/portage/patches/sys-apps/coreutils/my-ls.patch 2. emerge coreutils Way 2: 1. ebuild /usr/portage/sys-apps/coreutils/coreutils-8.28-r1.ebuild prepare 2. edit sources in /var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/coreutils 3. ebuild /usr/portage/sys-apps/coreutils/coreutils-8.28-r1.ebuild merge Really nice to work this way if you debug compiled software a lot.

seiferteric 9y ago

It's really not too hard on a Debian system to build a modified package. All sources should be available if you have the src repos in your sources.list. You just download the src package, modify, rebuild and install. https://wiki.debian.org/BuildingTutorial https://wiki.debian.org/BuildingTutorial

traverseda 9y ago
Return 403 for me...
- mschuster91 9y ago
  Long story short: 1. uncomment the deb-src lines in /etc/apt/sources.list; if you do not have these, simply copy each deb line and have it begin with deb-src. 2. apt-get update 3. apt-get source <packagename> 4. cd <packagename>-<version> 5. (do modifications here) 6. dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc 7. install the .deb packages in the parent directory with dpkg -i Do note, this does not properly embed your modifications in a patch or whatever, I haven't figured out how to do this and lose my mind at the same time.

traverseda 9y ago

It could go a long way towards getting people involved in FOSS systems development. I think you could avoid a lot of those bricking issues using btrfs snapshots.

deckar01 9y ago
btrfs snapshots are the source of all of my OpenSUSE crashes. I'm not sure what the issue is, but eventually it fills up my disk silently with snapshots until the system grinds to a halt.
- krylon 9y ago
  I have three machines that run OpenSuse, my desktop and two laptops (well, one laptop and one very low-end IdeaPad). On my desktop, I run into the same problem as you; I think my system partition is just a little small. On the laptops, I have not had any trouble with snapshots. I do like the idea, though - if an update breaks anything, just roll back to the last working state. Windows did this 15 years ago, it was about time Linux distros started catching up.

andrey_utkin 9y ago

> And even if you run a source-based distro like Gentoo, editing those sources by hand can still be quite intimidating. Not so much hassle. Way 1: 1. put your patch to /etc/portage/patches/sys-apps/coreutils/my-ls.patch 2. emerge coreutils Way 2: 1. ebuild /usr/portage/sys-apps/coreutils/coreutils-8.28-r1.ebuild prepare 2. edit sources in /var/tmp/portage/sys-apps/coreutils 3. ebuild /usr/portage/sys-apps/coreutils/coreutils-8.28-r1.ebuild merge Really nice to work this way if you debug compiled software a lot.