[haiku-development] Re: software organization/installation
- From: Rick Hansen <in_rapture@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: haiku-development@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 15:39:12 -0800 (PST)
--- Christian Packmann <Christian.Packmann@xxxxxx>
wrote:
> Rick Hansen:
> > Or, place the executable and it's dependencies in
> an
> > application specific directory giving rise to
> > same/different versions of the same library
> scattered
> > all over the system; "DLL hell."
>
> No, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dll_hell
>
> And to note: this was a problem in earlier Windows
> versions (Win9x-), but isn't anymore. I've been
> using WinXP heavily for a couple of years now, but
> never experienced any serious DLL problems. In my
> experience, there are fewer library-related problems
> in WinXP than in any other OS I've ever used
> (AmigaOS, Linux, BeOS).
>
> Christian
>
From that link it does appear that my "DLL hell"
definition (I and various co-workers have used it for
years, and I guess never really looked it up) is only
a very small subset of the wikipedia definition.
However, I do stand by my point. You choose the
central repository/PM system that spreads files around
in global areas, or an application based system where
applications and their dependencies are grouped
together.
The package management system is HORRIBLE for binary
BC, I'm really not even sure how anyone can argue
against that. I can not take a binary app compiled for
Red Hat in 1999 and run it against a current Red
Hat/Fedora distro. Not to even mention a 1999
slackware compiled app. However, I can take a TON of
Windows software from that same period and run it on
current systems without issue.
The application developer is really the only one who
can determine what version of a library works best
with his application, so those dependencies should be
his responsibility to provide and update them as
needed, not some central authority. This is generally
how it works in the Windows world and given their
install base and the HUGE software library available
to them, it still seems to be one of the best "It just
works" environments for users. Given this, it just
seems to make sense to give their install method
serious consideration.
Rick Hansen
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