Spack is a packager for Slackware Linux that helps with the installation and management of software packages. It facilitates package creation, builds dependencies, and verifies package consistency.
The main objective of Spack is to drastically reduce the amount of code you need to write to create a decent Slackware package. This goal is achieved by managing all the repetitive tasks associated with the Slackware packaging policy for you, such as permission fixes, manual compression, binary stripping, document fetching, and more.
As a result, your code is easier to write, maintain, and more coherent to others. Even better, Spack has a built-in packaging process that can assist you with many tasks, so you may not even require a single line of code!
Typically, you will only need to write simple code to get started. For example, you may use the ./configure command with the --prefix=$prefix option, followed by the make and make DESTDIR=$pkgdir || exit 1 commands. It's incredibly simple and efficient, which is why so many users find it appealing.
Yet, you may still be wondering if it's too good to be true. After all, many automated tools like this one do not always perform as expected, and can become troublesome as soon as things get complicated. Fortunately, that isn't the case with Spack. It has been designed to offer a total level of control to the user.
You can selectively disable features that are managed by Spack and even use your own code or a complete SlackBuild to get things done in the exact way you want. So, if you're looking for an easy-to-use, efficient, and flexible tool to help you generate software packages, Spack is certainly worth considering.
Version 2.0: N/A