[MPlayer-users] Why not make an installer?

[Dean S. Messing]

 :: I think the biggest problem with the distro package systems is that
 :: the 'package' is not really tied into the source code version. That
 :: is necessary because so many Linux users want to, at least occasionally,
 :: compile SW instead of just installing a 'package'.

<snip>

 :: Achieving that would be a big management task, but is certainly
 :: possible. I would be surprised if others have not already thought
 :: of this.
 :: 
 :: Ari

Well, at least for Mandrake (and PLF) packages, you can just as easily
download the .src.rpm as the .rpm (binary package).

and issue (on a Mandrake 9.2 system)

rpm -i mplayer-1.0-0.pre2.4mdk.src.rpm
cd /usr/src/RPM/SPECS
rpmbuild -bb mplayer.spec  (in this case)

and it will rebuild the .rpm from the .src.rpm

This includes applying all patches, configuring, compiling, and packaging
to give you the same (binary) .rpm  you would have had by downloading
the .rpm originally, except that (in this case) Mplayer would be compiled
against your current libraries.

If you want to modify the compile, or any other part of the build, you
edit `mplayer.spec' accordingly.  There's some learning to do if you
want to do anything sophisticated but anyone who has been intrepid
enough to try and plumb the depths of the mplayer commandline will
find nothing fearful in operating with RPMs :-)

And if you learn to use the great Mandrake tool `urpmi' you can ask
to it to analyse the .src.rpm for all dependent packages and have
it download and install those as well, all automatically.

Modern Mandrake package handling is quite something to behold
compared to the "old days".

Instead of taking hours to put all the Mplayer pieces together I got
the whole thing installed with all dependencies resolved (9 packages
when you count the codecs, ancillary libraries, &c., in about 1
minute).  And it worked "out of the box".

I'm a happy Mandrake 9.2 camper.

Dean

P.S.

Someone asked about "PLF"

Go to http://plf.zarb.org/  and start reading.