Re: packaging post script glitch.

[gbWilly <gbWilly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Sunday, December 14th, 2025 at 01:31, Bruce Steers <bsteers4@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> On Sat, 13 Dec 2025 at 22:33, Lee <t.lee.davidson@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> On 12/13/25 12:21 PM, gbWilly wrote:
>>> When you install gambas3 on a non gui system, you do realize you are installing a ton of gui enironment libraries. Why would you
>>> do that on a minimal non gui system, I don't get it.
>>
>> Probably because he wants to use the scripting capabilities of Gambas on his server. However, in that case, it might be better
>> to install only the needed packages one by one instead of the 'gambas3' meta package which installs (almost?) everything.
>>
>> --
>> Lee
>
> Yes, exactly that.
> I had hoped the logic of the way no gambas gtk packages install if you do not have gtk would be true if there was also no qt, it would just not install either toolkit.
> I had not realized gambas3 was a meta for everything.
> I was compiling from source but that again installs everything.
> I guess installing the individual packages would be the best way.

apg-get install gambas3 is the same as when you self compile gambas3, you get it all, right?

system menu is a gui thing and xdg-dektop is a gui thing as well, hence the desktop in the name.
One of the things it does is make DESKTOP files. The thing missing on all non gui systems is exactly that a DESKTOP!!

But, you can install packages individually from OSB, no problem. Some, will pull in others as they depend on them.
gambas3 pulls in gambas3-ide, and that is a gui application, so should be installed on a gui system.

But why do the work of manually figuring out what packages to instal for you webapplicationl and what not to install, when all mechanisms to do exactly that are in Gambas. You just never use them, like most.

This is how you go about it:
On a development system with IDE installed from OSB:

- make your webapplication
- pakage using the IDE packager, create a debian or ubuntu .deb package

On the minimal serevr:

- Add OSB as source and do apt-get update and apt-get upgrade (no install, just make sure system has all packages available and knows them)
- apt-get install gdebi-core (needed to have a command line application that installs .deb's and pulls in dependencies)
- get yourwebapplication.deb onto the server
- gdebi -n yourwebapplication.deb

This last command will install yourwebapplication on the server and will only install what it needs from gambas osb. It is as simple as that.
You package knows exactly what it needs in will install only that, no more.

You should read:

- GambOS Book 1: Chapter 2. An introduction the Debian package management
- Gambas Book 1: Chapter 7. The final countdown - 7.6 Distributing your application

for some more background on how stuff works on Debian/Ubuntu and on distributing your applications using the existing and very stable machanisms.
You can of course also try to reinvent and improve on the wheel, if so desired. I do sometimes, just for the sake of understanding something.

gbWilly

[GambOS](https://gambos.gambas.one/)
[Gambas3 for Debian/Ubuntu](https://gitlab.com/gbWilly/gambas3-debian-repository)
[GambOS](https://gambos.gambas.one/)

...there is always a Catch if things go wrong!