Looking at the package wide variety of packages at synfig.org/Download, watching all the problems with updating packages to new distributive releases, building my own packages for Fedora 7 and 10, I finally asked myself “Is this a right way to go?”
Everytime I build a package of new (svn) version of synfig I need to build it 4 times - in Fedora 7 i386, Fedora 7 x86_64, Fedora 10 i386 and finally Fedora 10 x86_64! There is a lot packages at the Download page and still most newcomers forced to build synfig from sources.
The answer looks simple - let the distribution vendors to produce packages. But currently we aren’t supported by them that much (Fedora refuses to include synfig in their repositories, Ubuntu lags with updates).
Other problem: I want to provide users a way to easily install some particular version of synfig. Yes, yes, easy. Without connecting additional (unofficial) repositories, without fiddling with dependencies. Just click-and-install. That’s a critical point for driving collaborative project - provide solid environment. I personally don’t want to depend on linux distributions packages - they use stable versions and don’t update as often as we. Oppositely we update relatively often to test new features and recieve benefits from recently fixed bugs.
That’s why I made an attempt to develop some kind of ‘unified’ package. Such package should comply following requirements:
Distribution-independence (rpm-package should be suitable for any modern rpm-based distro, same for deb-package)
All in single package (installation with one click, synfig and synfigstudio included)
End-user orientation (no devel stuff)
Minimum dependencies (only rely on components which most systems have installed already)
I see only one problem: the architecture.
Also don’t rely on vendors packaging gives the additional problem of make the package available to all flavors of linux distributions. So the package gets like a minimum of the features (mainly the import and export ones). It is fine though, because exporting a png sequence is enough for most of the users.
Nothing to test here as well as I use Ubuntu 8.10 and it has been tested by you. Anyway, where does it install the binaries? in usr local, custom folder, usr/bin?. I ask that before try it becasue I don’t want to overwrite my last build. I use usr/local.
Yes, I building synfig package twice - x86_64 and i386. But that’s easier than to make separate build for each distribution version. And I have a build script: synfigstudio-build.sh.
And yes, It seems Ubuntu (x86_64) unable to run i386 deb package, only x86_64 (luck of i386-compatible libraries).
ffmpeg export should be available if ffmpeg installed
imagemagick export should work if it’s package installed too
openEXR, lavcodec and magick++ are disabled for now, but I could build with them later
all the rest should work
binaries are go to /usr/bin/
most shared data stored in /opt/synfig
some data (like .desktop file) is stored in /usr/share/… to provide desktop integration.
It will be nice if you will find time to test package on your Ubuntu 8.10 installation, cause there is not enough proof if a package tested only by single person (me).
0install requires 0client to install package - that’s additional dependency.
Synfig is not suitable for autopackage, cause its not relocatable. See autopackage.org/developer-quickstart.html
Ok, I’ll take that into account. For now - yep, USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
No automatic updates. User install package just downloading and clicking on it. If newer package installed then it replaces older.
Yes, don’t like it too. But I don’t know how to make linux distribution handle *.desktop file located in /opt. We want SynfigStudio menu entry, aren’t we?
Other solution is to place synfig-related libs in /usr/lib/synfig and data to /usr/share. But not sure about that.
Have no Mac’s around. Is there any way to build ppc package on i386/x86_64 machine?
Current research task is to figure out how many various distributions could install/run those packages. Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Mandriva, Suse, others?
The synfigstudio_0.61.09-2316.morevnapackage.1_i386.deb one installed fine on my father’s computer. (running debian stable on a 32b arch)
But now all I have is a “Floating point exception” message when I try to start synfig or synfigstudio.
Well, I suppose I may have to install gdb or something like that too…
Not previously installed the official package.
I have a compiled version of synfigstudio in usr/local/bin.
Installed your package (x86_64) using gdebi.It complained about there is an official package in the repository.
Running /usr/bin/synfigstudio goes well. I didn’t notice anything wrong.
-G
When attempting to install the new stable Synfig (well, upgrading actually) I get this error. Now, I can simply click “Ignore warning and install”, but hey, we need users to stop being too scared, aye?
That’s a problem but it’s related to Ubuntu, i had this problem with several packages and my best choice was GDebi, is not installed as it used to be but is still available from repositories, the worst part is that updating Wine has come to be a problem too due to this thing about bad quality packages.
Win7 throws a message, because it’s unsure that the package has installed correctly. But it has. I don’t know how to convince it otherwise, short of digitally signing it.
Maybe it’s time to update the NSIS installer package.