6 ms·

It really frustrates me that authors are not responsible for compiling and distributing their software, only then will we have software upgraded regularly and q

It really frustrates me that authors are not responsible for compiling and distributing their software, only then will we have software upgraded regularly and quickly.

kklimonda 15y ago
which distribution should they compile and distribute (sigh) for? Not to mention basic problems like "should I integrate with GNOME, Unity, KDE or nothing at all?"
- drdaeman 15y ago
  There are only 2 popular package formats: deb and rpm. I don't have any experience with RPM, but to build a package for a reasonably big part of the Debian-based world, you have to set up a build system (pbuilder/cowbuilder) and tell it something like `for DIST in lenny squeeze wheezy sid lucid maverick natty oneiric pangolin do; git-buildpackage ...; done` The problem is, to get it right one has to find and read TONS of documentation.
  - Shank 15y ago
    It'd be a lot more popular if it was as easy as the Android apk export wizard. My 2c: Improve the tools and the developers will follow.
- tikhonj 15y ago
  I don't think the Gnome/Unity/KDE split is nearly as significant as people find it. You don't have to support them all! I use KDE, and programs written for Gnome fit right in. As far as I know, there is no reason at all to depend on some particular environment exclusively; even things like notifications work uniformly across different systems.
- bergie 15y ago
  Why not all of them? OBS makes this easy. Big projects can run their own OBS, and for us others there is the public instance provided by OpenSuse. Builds many versions of all major distros.
drdaeman 15y ago
I believe proper packaging is quite complex process, so it scares a lot of the developers away.
- tikhonj 15y ago
  Isn't creating one of those Windows installers also complicated? To me, it seems even more complicated than packaging software for Linux, yet it has never stopped anyone.
  - nknight 15y ago
    > Isn't creating one of those Windows installers also complicated? Not for years now, no. The process for creating an .msi for a basic stand-alone app in Visual Studio is pretty simple and well-documented.

It really frustrates me that authors are not responsible for compiling and distributing their software, only then will we have software upgraded regularly and quickly.

kklimonda 15y ago

which distribution should they compile and distribute (sigh) for? Not to mention basic problems like "should I integrate with GNOME, Unity, KDE or nothing at all?"

drdaeman 15y ago
There are only 2 popular package formats: deb and rpm. I don't have any experience with RPM, but to build a package for a reasonably big part of the Debian-based world, you have to set up a build system (pbuilder/cowbuilder) and tell it something like `for DIST in lenny squeeze wheezy sid lucid maverick natty oneiric pangolin do; git-buildpackage ...; done` The problem is, to get it right one has to find and read TONS of documentation.
- Shank 15y ago
  It'd be a lot more popular if it was as easy as the Android apk export wizard. My 2c: Improve the tools and the developers will follow.
tikhonj 15y ago
I don't think the Gnome/Unity/KDE split is nearly as significant as people find it. You don't have to support them all! I use KDE, and programs written for Gnome fit right in. As far as I know, there is no reason at all to depend on some particular environment exclusively; even things like notifications work uniformly across different systems.
bergie 15y ago
Why not all of them? OBS makes this easy. Big projects can run their own OBS, and for us others there is the public instance provided by OpenSuse. Builds many versions of all major distros.

drdaeman 15y ago

I believe proper packaging is quite complex process, so it scares a lot of the developers away.

tikhonj 15y ago
Isn't creating one of those Windows installers also complicated? To me, it seems even more complicated than packaging software for Linux, yet it has never stopped anyone.
- nknight 15y ago
  > Isn't creating one of those Windows installers also complicated? Not for years now, no. The process for creating an .msi for a basic stand-alone app in Visual Studio is pretty simple and well-documented.