Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package [LWN.net]

Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package

Posted Dec 3, 2009 16:05 UTC (Thu) by nim-nim (subscriber, #34454)
In reply to: Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package by jschrod
Parent article: Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package

I am well aware of JPackage. They do a wonderful job, but their life is not simplified at all by Java common practices (the same ones Tom Callaway complains of in his message)

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Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package

Posted Dec 4, 2009 7:08 UTC (Fri) by jameslivingston (subscriber, #57330) [Link]

That's right, as the Java and linux packaging practices don't mesh well together. It's not the fault of either side, it's just that they were developed independently with different goals, so just make it hard to mix the two.

There are some quite easy ways to make Java packaging fit with a distro's packaging system, it's just that it would violate most of their policies:
* my-java-library-1.0.1 is one package, and my-java-library-1.0.2 is a separate package, not a newer version
* put the contents of those packages into a maven repository-like file structure (e.g. /usr/share/java-libs/org/my-java-lib/1.0.1/my-java-lib-1.0.1.jar)
* Have the shell script that starts the app pull all of that into the right place in the classpath

Of course your linux packagers will have a fit, because you're abusing their packaging system, but it works :)

Callaway: Chromium: Why it isn't in Fedora yet as a proper package

Posted Dec 4, 2009 8:53 UTC (Fri) by nim-nim (subscriber, #34454) [Link]

It only works in the fork and forget mode Java developpers are so found of (secrutity issues, who cares about security issues, didn't SUN promise me a language that voided them all?)