Difference between revisions of "Platform Team/Package Management System"

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<noinclude>{{GoogleTrans-en}}{{TOCright}}
 
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[[Category:Feature Page Incomplete]]
 
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[[Category:Feature|Decoupling of Sucrose]]</noinclude>
 
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<!-- All fields on this form are required to be accepted.
 
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We also request that you maintain the same order of sections so that all of the feature pages are uniform.  -->
 
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<!-- The actual name of your feature page should look something like: Features/Your Feature Name.  This keeps all features in the same namespace -->
 
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== Summary ==
 
== Summary ==
  
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Increase level of compartmentalization in Sucrose.
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Sweets is a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Package_management_system Package Management System] entirely based on [http://0install.net/ Zero Install], a decentralized cross-distribution software installation system. It is intended to distribute various software projects created in the Sugar ecosystem, such as libraries, sugar itself, and sugar activities.
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== Owner ==
 
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''This should link to your home wiki page so we know who you are''
 
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* Name: [[User:AcountName| Your Name]]
 
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''Include you email address that you can be reached should people want to contact you about helping with your feature, status is requested, or technical issues need to be resolved''
 
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* Email: <your email address so we can contact you, invite you to meetings, etc.>
 
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== Current status ==
 
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* Targeted release: ASAP
 
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* Last updated: Sun Jul 12 15:48:08 UTC 2009
 
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* Percentage of completion: 0%
 
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== Detailed Description ==
 
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This proposal assumes that the core of sugar development(in common sense) is variety of developers rather then developers who are taking part in sugar core(glucose) development. So, it's all about seeing from activity/3rd-party developers.
 
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From such new core POV, sugar development process will look like:
 
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* variety of sugar activities
 
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* that use Sugar Services
 
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So, developers use a set of services that have theirs own API changes based schedules. Existed glucose could be treated as a big service and splited to several components but thats not a task for this proposal. Instead, it's about proposing basic infrastructure of Sugar Services and several services that are not part of glucose.
 
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...
 
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The major idea is instead of having 6 months to have a solid core (with stable release cycle) <=> dbus-API/sugar-toolkit-API (ideally, only dbus) <=> unlimited number of activities that use core functionality and do not follow 6 months release cycle  (which could be overmuch for activity).
 
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It could looks like:
 
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* '''core''' - glucose, six months (or so) release cycle, w/o any activities, only API
 
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** in ideal, it should have only dbus API
 
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* '''bridge''' - [[Development_Team/sugar-port|sugar-port]] for example, between all (in ideal) already deployed sugars and activities, i.e., it provides backwards compatibility (so the same activity code will work on all Sugars) and at the same time provides features from newest sugar (so the same activity code will use last Sugar's features).
 
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** We could write this level in vala to provide core functionality for wide range of programming languages.
 
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* '''world''' - the rest of Sugar world, i.e., Fructose/Honey (but now there are no differences between them) that use core directly, if all deployed Sugars have the same API for desired functionality (for example, in case of preselected mime type, ObjectsChooser has different API for 0.82-0.86), or use bridge otherwise.<br>imho another point to have activities outside of core release cycle - activities have a shorter release cycle then the core has.
 
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And of course deployers can form any sets from these components
 
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    Core                      Bridge                        World       
 
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+------------+                                            +------------+
 
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| Sugar-0.82 |---+                                    +---| Activity A |
 
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+------------+  |    +---------------------------+  |  +------------+
 
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+------------+  |    | sugar-port                |  |  +------------+
 
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|    ...    |--dbus--| do not fail on 0.82      |---+---|    ...    |
 
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+------------+  |    | but uses all 777 features |  |  +------------+
 
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+------------+  |    +---------------------------+  |  +------------+
 
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| Sugar-777  |---+                                    +---| Activity Z |
 
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+------------+                                            +------------+
 
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== Benefit to Sugar ==
 
  
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Make sugar environment more straightforward by decoupling core from other stuff and using tough and well maintainable dbus API to let activities run on all (in ideal) deployed Sugar platforms.
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This new distribution method is initiated with these assumptions:
  
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== Scope ==
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* The method to share software projects should to be as convenient as possible.
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* It is important to stimulate users into becoming doers&mdash;to modify existing activities, and to share the results of their experiments with other people, viz., a distribution method should handle different variants of the same project.
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* This distribution method is not intended to be the only one, but is targeted more towards direct distribution&mdash;from software creators to software users.
  
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Sugar core parts.
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The goal is to create a new distribution method that goes beyond reusing the current methods:
  
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== How To Test ==
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# [[Development_Team/Almanac/Activity_Bundles|''.xo bundles'']]
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#* Work smoothly only for pure python activities, though only if all (and the same) dependencies are installed on all systems. They stop working smoothly if activities use non-standard dependencies or contain binaries.
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#* But, are not effective in supporting the simultaneous use of multiple versions of software, e.g., the results of experiments (the work) of different doers, in one environment. Users must manually handle the variety of activity versions, e.g., sort out all the local bundles or directories in {{Code|~/Activities}}.
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# ''native packages''
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#* Are not the shortest way to connect developers with users.
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#* In most cases, they don't support multiple versions of the same project.
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#* They don't work at all for sharing results of experiments.
  
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''Not yet implemented''
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And, at the same time, the existing distribution methods are available for reuse in Sweets:
  
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== User Experience ==
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# [[Development_Team/Almanac/Activity_Bundles|''.xo bundles'']] are a subset of the Sweets workflow, from the usage point of view.
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#* It is possible to bundle an entire directory as a sweet project to use it as a regular .xo file.
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# ''native packages''
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#* Sweets is not intended to create one more GNU/Linux distribution. It distributes only projects that people create within the Sugar community; all other software, i.e., dependencies, will be reused from native packages.
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#* For cases like Sugar deployments, using the more centralized, regular repositories (third party or official GNU/Linux distributions with native packages) makes more sense. These native packages of Sugar software will be included in Sweets, as well. When people start using Sweets on top of these Sugar distributions, they will have the chance to choose between natively packaged Sugar components and components that came directly from software creators.
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#* It is possible, when there is a need, to automatically package sweets into native packages. See [[Sweets Distribution]], for example.
  
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''Not yet implemented''
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See also the initial release [[Platform_Team/Sweets/1.0/Notes|notes]].
  
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== Dependencies ==
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== Zero Install basis ==
  
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''Not yet implemented''
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Sweets is entirely based on Zero Install. Sweets might be treated as a tools and infrastructure wrapper around Zero Install. See Zero Install's home page, http://0install.net/, for detailed information. And the [http://0install.net/injector-design.html design] page in particular.
  
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== Contingency Plan ==
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== Further reading ==
  
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None necessary, revert to previous release behaviour.
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* [[Platform_Team/Sweets/Architecture|Sweets Architecture]] - A guide to basic Sweets concepts.
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* [[Platform_Team/Guide/Sweets_Usage|Sweets Usage]] - A guide to know how to launch software using Sweets.
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* [[Platform_Team/Guide/Sweets_Packaging|Sweets Packaging]] - A guide to know how to make your software accessible via Sweets.
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* [[Platform_Team/Infrastructure|Infrastructure Map]] - An overview of the Sweets software world.
  
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== Documentation ==
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== Getting involved ==
  
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* [http://www.mail-archive.com/sugar@lists.laptop.org/msg04623.html Michael Stone's email]
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* Read the [http://git.sugarlabs.org/sdk/sweets/blobs/master/HACKING HACKING] file to know how to contribute with code.
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{{:Platform_Team/Sweets/Feedback}}
  
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== Release Notes ==
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== Resources ==
  
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''Not yet implemented''
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* [http://git.sugarlabs.org/sdk/sweets Sources].
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* Recipe files [[Platform_Team/Recipe_Specification|specification]].
  
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== Comments and Discussion ==
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== Subpages ==
  
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* See [[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|discussion tab for this feature]] <!-- This adds a link to the "discussion" tab associated with your page.  This provides the ability to have ongoing comments or conversation without bogging down the main feature page -->
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{{Special:PrefixIndex/{{PAGENAMEE}}/}}

Latest revision as of 14:51, 3 July 2012

Summary

Sweets is a Package Management System entirely based on Zero Install, a decentralized cross-distribution software installation system. It is intended to distribute various software projects created in the Sugar ecosystem, such as libraries, sugar itself, and sugar activities.

This new distribution method is initiated with these assumptions:

  • The method to share software projects should to be as convenient as possible.
  • It is important to stimulate users into becoming doers—to modify existing activities, and to share the results of their experiments with other people, viz., a distribution method should handle different variants of the same project.
  • This distribution method is not intended to be the only one, but is targeted more towards direct distribution—from software creators to software users.

The goal is to create a new distribution method that goes beyond reusing the current methods:

  1. .xo bundles
    • Work smoothly only for pure python activities, though only if all (and the same) dependencies are installed on all systems. They stop working smoothly if activities use non-standard dependencies or contain binaries.
    • But, are not effective in supporting the simultaneous use of multiple versions of software, e.g., the results of experiments (the work) of different doers, in one environment. Users must manually handle the variety of activity versions, e.g., sort out all the local bundles or directories in ~/Activities.
  2. native packages
    • Are not the shortest way to connect developers with users.
    • In most cases, they don't support multiple versions of the same project.
    • They don't work at all for sharing results of experiments.

And, at the same time, the existing distribution methods are available for reuse in Sweets:

  1. .xo bundles are a subset of the Sweets workflow, from the usage point of view.
    • It is possible to bundle an entire directory as a sweet project to use it as a regular .xo file.
  2. native packages
    • Sweets is not intended to create one more GNU/Linux distribution. It distributes only projects that people create within the Sugar community; all other software, i.e., dependencies, will be reused from native packages.
    • For cases like Sugar deployments, using the more centralized, regular repositories (third party or official GNU/Linux distributions with native packages) makes more sense. These native packages of Sugar software will be included in Sweets, as well. When people start using Sweets on top of these Sugar distributions, they will have the chance to choose between natively packaged Sugar components and components that came directly from software creators.
    • It is possible, when there is a need, to automatically package sweets into native packages. See Sweets Distribution, for example.

See also the initial release notes.

Zero Install basis

Sweets is entirely based on Zero Install. Sweets might be treated as a tools and infrastructure wrapper around Zero Install. See Zero Install's home page, http://0install.net/, for detailed information. And the design page in particular.

Further reading

Getting involved

  • Read the HACKING file to know how to contribute with code.
  • Submit your bug report or feature request.
  • Subscribe to the sugar-devel mailing list and email with the subject prefixed with [SWEETS].
  • Ask your question on IRC channels, #sugar (not logged) or #sugar-newbies (logged).

Resources

Subpages

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sugarlabs.org/index.php?title=Platform_Team/Package_Management_System&oldid=80472"