Re: [MiNT] SpareMiNT automatic update script

[Mark Duckworth <mduckworth@atari-source.com>]

On Mon, 2004-10-04 at 16:49, Martin Tarenskeen wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I created a shell script for my own use that can do the following tricks 
> for me:
> 
> 1. It checks the SpareMiNT site for new or updated RPM packages.
> 2. It downloads new versions of packages that are installed on my system 
> (optional). It can download both binary and source rpm's if I wish.
> 3. When starting from an old EasyMiNT installation the job can take 
> quite some time on my modem and phoneline. But the script will hangup the 
> modem for me automatically after all updated packages have been 
> downloaded. If I start the script just before I go to sleep, I don't have 
> to come out of my bed to hangup the modem connection :-) 
> 4. After downloading, the RPM packages are installed automatically 
> (optional)
> 
> As I said, I wrote the script for my own use. But someone out there might 
> like to try it, so I put it on my website:
> 
>  	http://www.home.zonnet.nl/m.tarenskeen/download/mint/sparecheck
> 
> After downloading the script, you may want to edit a few lines at the 
> beginning of the script to suit your personal needs and taste, make it 
> executable with "chmod 755 sparecheck", and put it somewhere in your 
> $PATH. ( I suggest in /usr/bin/ ). Then, while you are online, run it from 
> the commandline, and see what happens.
> 
>   --
> 
> Martin Tarenskeen
> 

This is good stuff.  I'm creating basically the same thing except in a GEM/TOS program that will
interact with the new sparemint site instead of the current one.  One thing about mine is that
it will attempt to resolve dependencies for the scenario that you update to the newest version
of gaim and it depends on some random new package, it will install that random package for you 
even though that's not just simply an updated package.  It'll also do the install one by one.

This dependency resolving amongst other things will be done server side hopefully to reduce the
code execution on our modest Atari's.  Since the packages will be installed one at a time, hopefully
it will reduce memory consumption.  Someday I hope this is an option for easymint.  Instead of 
downloading a package bundle, you instead download a modified installer where you choose basic categories
which can be defined server side, thereafter setup your inet connection, thereafter download and install
away.  Fresh packages right from the start :)  This all in due time.  Initially I plan to do 
what this shell script does and download all the rpms and rpm -Uvh *.rpm in the temp dir ;-)

In the end I'd like web/gem based package management where a user can browse/add/remove packages 
for their system(s) either online or in a nice interface.  Very Ximian red-carpet like.  I want this
kind of functionality for tos too where if you type sum update, it'll update yuor system or sum install gaim
it'll resolve deps, download and install gaim, etc.  All in due time.

Thanks,
Mark