[Gambas-user] Update ide Package module for shared libraries, Make installation packages to have preinst and postinst scripts

[gbWilly]

Hi Brian,


‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Tuesday, February 25, 2020 5:59 PM, Brian G <brian at westwoodsvcs.com> wrote:

> The problem is that the name of the package changes like this
> westwood-testexec_7.14.9-0ubuntu1_all.deb
> westwood-testexec_7.14.8-0ubuntu1_all.deb
> westwood-testexec_4.14.7-0ubuntu1_all.deb
> etc
>
> The package name is only considered to the first _ and the rest is versioning
>
> So no mater what major(also considered interface version for shared libraries), minor, release number
> Debian deletes all older versions and replaces it with the newer version. Applications depending on the older version of the interface will now fail.
> If you try to install the older version, it will tell you that the newest is already installed.

This is exactly the behavior I want and I wouldn't like it to be different.
I work a lot with Gambas libraries in a production environment.

My new library versions are meant to replace the older ones.
Thing is, you make sure that your changes in the new library are backward compatible so they don't mess up the applications using them.

So that means for example that if existing methods get a new argument it is always optional.
If I don't want that optional argument, I check all applications using this method (simple search in the IDE will do that), change them accordingly and redistribute them.

Pretty strait forward in my opinion.


> I would like to propose that the major version number become part of a library name as this
>
> westwood-testexec4_4.14.7-0ubuntu1_all.deb
>
> This allows the Major/Inteface number to control the package name for libraries and therefore allow the development and implementation in a production environment of newer versions of the interface. and the slow adoption for older applications to the new interface.
>
> This change for Libraries to the naming

You proposition in my case would mean that a library would have a name + number added by the packager (say it is named MyLib) and the deb would be mylib1_1.0.1-0ubuntu1_all.deb
My application (name it MyApp) would thus actually be dependend on MyLib1 (instead of MyLib).
If I create a new major version of the MyLib package (deb would then be named mylib2_2.0.0-0ubuntu1_all.deb).
So, I would also have to change the dependency in MyApp to make it work with MyLib2 (instead of MyLib1).
This to me is an undesired behavior, as that means I would always have to update all applications using a the library and redistribute them to make them work with the newer library.

If you really would like to work in this manner simply name your library with the added major version number.
So name your first version MyLib1 being version 1.0.0
Every update within 1 version (so 1.0.1, 1.1.20 etc) you stick to the name MyLib1

Once you go to a newer major version that is no longer backward compatible name the library MyLib2 (being version 2.0.0, 2.0.1, 2.1.20 etc.)
Older applications depending on MyLib1 will not be bother by the MyLib2 update as the libraries are considered by the OS as different packages (since they have different names).
Both MyLib1 and MyLib2 will live alongside each other and older applications would need to be refurbished and redistributed to make them work with the major version 2 of your library.

This way the default expected behavior of how packages and dependencies work in a Debian/Ubuntu environment would still be met.

Just my two cents,

gbWilly