Re: [ros-dev] Package Manager

[Steven Edwards]

--- Maarten Bosma [e-mail] wrote:
> If I understood you correctly you said that there is no need for 
> developing a compleatly new system, a Packagemanager only had to provide 
>   a interface for the msi files.

Right, You can interface directly to the MSI database in the registry.
> First of all, I have to say that I don't know much about that msi stuff. 
> So my question is how would the msi file and the program communicte ? 
> The point with a packagemanager is that you choose to install lots of 
> packages and leave your PC alone. So the package manager had to send the 
> dessions of the user to the msi file and then the msi file had to do 
> it's operations senlitly. And send reports to the package manager from 
> time to time. And if something went wrong, it has to send a compleate 
> error report.

Well MSI packages have a lot of options, more so than are used by most people. Most people just
write a Install Shield wizard and have the software packaged in a msi but it can do self-repair
and modification and all sorts of cool stuff. Most third partys now ship apps as MSI as its what
Microsoft supports or they use NullSoft Install System so making a easy to use interface to both
of them will win the most support. Its like a mini-sql database so you can even use XML to mess
with it in your Package Manager. If I understand correctly the Microsoft tool for creating MSI
packages "WiX", uses a xml file for input. The only problem is that WiX is CPL and not GPL so we
cannot ship it with ReactOS unless we make it a seperate download.

Thanks
Steven

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[Jonathan Wilson]

> with it in your Package Manager. If I understand correctly the Microsoft tool for creating MSI
> packages "WiX", uses a xml file for input. The only problem is that WiX is CPL and not GPL so we
> cannot ship it with ReactOS unless we make it a seperate download.

Why not?
Its perfectly possible to include a CPL program on the same CD or zip file 
as a GPL program as long as they dont directly mix code (IANAL but this is 
what I understand). Linux distributions mix and match code of all different 
licences and get away with it.