Smart Package Manager

[JohnT]

The Smart Package Manager project has the *****ious objective of creating smart and portable algorithms for solving adequately the problem of managing software upgrading and installation. This tool works in all major distributions, and will bring notable advantages over native tools currently in use (APT, APT-RPM, YUM, URPMI, etc).

A word to the faint of heart...its Beta.:D


http://smartpm.org/

[hard candy]

Looks good, it says in the README it supports Slackware, Fedora, etc. But then I did not see how it dealt with .tgz packages. Have you tried it on Slackware?

[JohnT]

Originally posted by hard candy
Looks good, it says in the README it supports Slackware, Fedora, etc. But then I did not see how it dealt with .tgz packages. Have you tried it on Slackware?

It pulls from either an indicated repository or an installed cache, running on python it uses the native packaging scripts installpkg, upgradepkg and removepkg.

[hard candy]

Labx/smart (http://labix.org/smart) I have started using this on my Opensuse 10.1 x86_64 install, it works well. I followed the advice given by Snakedriver on the Suseforums.net (http://www.suseforums.net/index.php?showtopic=24663)
"SmartPM is a package manager sort of like Yast.
You need to install the smart rpm + the smart-gui rpm.
When you then start the smart app from kmenu > system > configuration >smart, it will not do anything until you setup some channels for it to utilize and tell it to update itself to those channels you just loaded.

To install those channels:
Start smart
Edit > Channels > New > Provide channel information
Now because the ones I listed are from SuSE Apt, select Apt-RPM repository
Now you have a choice to make, put all the apt components on one entry or have a seperate channel for each component. I chose the latter so I can know from what location and whom the rpm is comming from. So let's do Apt component packman:
For Alias: Apt-Packman -- I copy that & paste it in:
Name: Apt-Packman
Now go to the list above & copy: ftp://ftp4.gwdg.de/pub/linux/suse/apt/SuSE/10.1-x86_64 and paste it in Base URL
in Components type: packman
Click OK
Do that for each of the components with different names of course.

Lastly, on the toolbar, on the left is an "Update Channels" button, click it & sit back & watch Smart update itself.

Search thru all the 8,000 rpm now available in the smart gui window & pick a few to install.

Why do it this way? Because now you can selectively turn on & off the channels. Now I recommend going back into channels & turnning off Apt-base. Why you ask, because it is a huge file & takes forever to download normally & inifinity to get when the boards are loaded like they are now!

Have fun..."
The package list for the 64 bit Suse packages are listed in the thread.
SMART for FC3 (http://fedoranews.org/blog/?p=573) is another Howto from 2005, so I would check for newer postings.
Let's make all the distros a little "Smarter". I'm happy.
Now all we need is a Gnu/Linux validation tool--"Your system is currently running some of that real expensive OS and programs, please upgrade to FSS/OSS software to avoid paying higher license fees in the future. The only thing you have to lose is a 20 page EULA. Thank you".