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Except that - Linux distributions aren't solely tools for developing software, and their package managers are intended for all their end users.
by FuckButtons 6y ago
Except that - Linux distributions aren't solely tools for developing software, and their package managers are intended for all their end users.
- hctaw 6y agoThat's not my point - dependency resolution is a build time requirement, not an install-time one. Requiring the user's machine to resolve dependencies to install your software is fragile, bug prone, and harms the user experience. Like it or not, users don't care if your software has interchangeable parts. They care if it runs on their system. The only sane way to guarantee a piece of software runs outside your developer machine is to include its dependencies during distribution and packaging (not refer to them - which is what package managers require). The less sane way is to use containers, but those are required when developers don't package their software sanely. This doesn't preclude users from installing software or replacing interchangeable components should developers support it. What it prevents is disgusting bugs and workarounds because dev A built on distro B while user C wants to use it on distro D but the packages have to be separately for everyone because the distro package managers don't agree with each other on what things are named or how they should be built.
- millstone 6y agoNo thanks. Apps like Firefox should use the libraries - windows, menus, etc. - installed on my system. Please don't ship your own libraries for this stuff. Containers are an even more insane approach, so maybe we are in violent agreement.