UniPackage is a package system that is not specific to any distribution and does not require dependencies.
UniPackage is a versatile packaging system that offers an alternative to distribution-specific packaging systems such as dpkg and RPM. It is a simple system that is compatible with any Linux distribution. UniPackage packages are essentially tar.bz2 archives that contain a self-contained "AppDir". This means that applications can be moved anywhere in the file system without disrupting the installation of the application. More often than not, the application's code doesn't need to be modified to ensure the packaging works.
UniPackage solves the problem of dependencies by including all necessary libraries in the AppDir. However, applications will opt to use previously installed libraries to save memory space. UniPackage compresses the application's "bin" and "lib" directories to conserve disk space. This feature is available in version 0.5.2.
Creating packages using UniPackage is simple. In this review, we will demonstrate how to create an MPlayer package. To get started, download the UniPackage tarball and the MPlayer source archive. Extract these files to a preferred directory on the system.
UniPackage compiles programs with bash scripts known as "recipes". These recipes are similar to those used in GoboLinux. UniPackage contains a standard recipe which works with most programs. For more complex programs, you can either find a recipe created by someone else, or you can create one. UniPackage comes with a "complex" recipe for MPlayer known as 'Recipe.MPlayer'. This example recipe has commands to set up directories, download and extract fonts/codecs/skins specifically for MPlayer. You are free to modify the recipe to obtain the desired compilation result.
After creating or finding the recipe, invoke the CreatePackage script to create your package. This script requires several arguments. If you run CreatePackage without arguments, you will receive a brief summary of the requirements. Supply the arguments as follows:
* Arg1: The path to the source files of the program (/usr/local/src/MPlayer-1.0pre5)
* Arg2: The name of the program (any name will suffice)
* Arg3: The name of the binary to launch the program (use 'gmplayer' for MPlayer)
* Arg4: The name of the recipe you want to use (the recipe must be in the current directory)
* Arg5: Any additional commands you want to submit to the configure script when compiling (if you don't have additional options, provide empty quotes)
Once these steps are completed, the program compiles and packages up in a bzip2-compressed tarball. Distribution is effortless; download the tarball, extract it, and place the extracted package files anywhere in the file system. The package contains all configuration files, if necessary. Users can navigate to the directory and run the program using 'AppRun' script. Rox-Filer users can click on the directory in Rox to launch the program.
UniPackage solves the problem of dependencies by including all necessary libraries in the AppDir. However, applications will opt to use previously installed libraries to save memory space. UniPackage compresses the application's "bin" and "lib" directories to conserve disk space. This feature is available in version 0.5.2.
Creating packages using UniPackage is simple. In this review, we will demonstrate how to create an MPlayer package. To get started, download the UniPackage tarball and the MPlayer source archive. Extract these files to a preferred directory on the system.
UniPackage compiles programs with bash scripts known as "recipes". These recipes are similar to those used in GoboLinux. UniPackage contains a standard recipe which works with most programs. For more complex programs, you can either find a recipe created by someone else, or you can create one. UniPackage comes with a "complex" recipe for MPlayer known as 'Recipe.MPlayer'. This example recipe has commands to set up directories, download and extract fonts/codecs/skins specifically for MPlayer. You are free to modify the recipe to obtain the desired compilation result.
After creating or finding the recipe, invoke the CreatePackage script to create your package. This script requires several arguments. If you run CreatePackage without arguments, you will receive a brief summary of the requirements. Supply the arguments as follows:
* Arg1: The path to the source files of the program (/usr/local/src/MPlayer-1.0pre5)
* Arg2: The name of the program (any name will suffice)
* Arg3: The name of the binary to launch the program (use 'gmplayer' for MPlayer)
* Arg4: The name of the recipe you want to use (the recipe must be in the current directory)
* Arg5: Any additional commands you want to submit to the configure script when compiling (if you don't have additional options, provide empty quotes)
Once these steps are completed, the program compiles and packages up in a bzip2-compressed tarball. Distribution is effortless; download the tarball, extract it, and place the extracted package files anywhere in the file system. The package contains all configuration files, if necessary. Users can navigate to the directory and run the program using 'AppRun' script. Rox-Filer users can click on the directory in Rox to launch the program.
What's New
Version 0.5.2: N/A