> On Sun, 4 Apr 1999, Alex Buell wrote:
>
> > The 1.55 release:
> > ftp://ftp.uk.linux.org/pub/linux/sct/quota/quota-1.55-10.i386.rpm
> > ftp://ftp.uk.linux.org/pub/linux/sct/quota/quota-1.55-10.src.rpm
> >
> > WHY IS THIS ONLY IN RPM FORMAT?! Please could we have a tarball of the
> > sources!! I am not downloading RPM just to get at the sources! (Yes, I
> > checked in the ftp server)
>
[ ... ]
> Furthermore, don't you think you're being just a tad bit petulant? It's in
> RPM because the author (Stephen Tweedie, I think) chose to do it that way.
> "He who writes the code gets to make the rules." It's not like he posted it
> in rot-13, uuencoded, and then binhex4 or something absurd like that--rpm is
> a fairly standard Linux file format, particularly given that he's a RH
> employee.
RPM is a package manager and not a simple file set manager. A package is
something that is intended to be installed on a given system, or systems
that are compatibles with the system the package is for. The RPM format
could be used for any system, not only systems based on Linux, and any
system based on Linux may elect not to use it.
It may look stupid, to use a package manager to make available some
software that can be used on any Linux based system. But if the intention
was it to be easier to install by users of the system for which the
package has been made, then we may understand. RedHat is a commercial
company and its employees are working for their company to have the
greatest possible success. There is nothing that should hurt here.
I also donnot want to use RPM to unpack linux general material and will
even prefer any of the formats you stated as absurd for that.
What hurts me are people like you that called 'standard' things that are
not. A standard must be approved and its evolutions must be discussed and
not shoe-horned by a single company or person. The RPM format is, for now,
as standard as the 'M$ Word format for docs' for example, or as the
Linux kernel at places it does not conform to any standard.
Gérard.
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