On Tue, Jul 12, 2005 at 07:38:25PM -0400, Dennis Clarke wrote: > There may be arguments for a completely independant set of packages > with independant dependencies out of /usr/local or /opt/sfw etc etc.
There are powerful arguments against multiple dependency stacks. They're confusing, wasteful, and can conflict if the software in them isn't built and installed correctly. They also require administrators to manage them each independently, which wastes time. Users get confused if they don't have all the right PATH entries. And finally it's a duplication (and division) of effort for the people who maintain, test, and update the software. About the only good thing that can be said about multiple dependency stacks is that there's no reason they have to exist. They're a symptom of broken development strategies and/or lack of cooperation, not a natural and inevitable fact of life. -- Keith M Wesolowski "Sir, we're surrounded!" Solaris Kernel Team "Excellent; we can attack in any direction!" _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list opensolaris-discuss@opensolaris.org
