(This package has been decommissioned; see GNU gsrc and GNU guix for other efforts in this direction.)
GNU Source Installer is a source package manager for Unix-likes.
It provides configuration, compilation, installation, upgrade, tracking and removal of packages built from source code following the GNU coding standards. The functionality is reachable using a command line, scriptable front end or a GTK graphical interface.
For an user already experienced with source installations from the plain shell (using the ./configure, make, make install sequence), this software provides a way to centralize source installation, have easier access to configure options, keep track of already installed packages and their relevant files, check installations for consistency, export and reuse installation information and have enhanced uninstallation and upgrade functionalities.
For the novice but interested user, this software also offers a way to gain confidence with the shell commands, the file system, the traditional Unix commands, and of course with common source configuration and installation procedures and options. Reporting bugs encountered during build remains easy, with the full log available in both front-ends.
The software is targeted at Unix-like systems, and should work on most of them, with GNU/Linux as the primary target. Please report any portability problem you should encounter.
The most recent release is 2.5, and is an official alpha release. It contains most of the main features, but still misses some, and expecially lacks documentation. Please consider helping the project in this regard.
All sourceinstall 2.5 components are available separately:
You can install either of these front-ends or both, depending on your taste.
You can fetch GNU Source Installer using one of the following methods:
http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/sourceinstall/ [via HTTP].
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/sourceinstall/ [via FTP].
cvs -d:pserver:[email protected]:/sources/sourceinstall co sourceinstall [via anonymous CVS].
It can also be found on one of our FTP mirrors.
Unfortunately, a texinfo manual is still not available, and help is needed in this sense.
GNU Source Installer has a single, all-purpose mailing list:
<[email protected]> | this is the place where users can ask for help, share their comments and primarily report any kind of bugs and misfeatures. For details on submitting a bug report, please see the section Report a Bug below. |
To subscribe to the bug-sourceinstall mailing list, please send an empty mail to <[email protected]> with a Subject: header line of just "subscribe".
Please remember that development of GNU Source Installer is a volunteer effort, and you can also contribute to its development. For information about contributing to the GNU Project, please read How to help GNU.
If you think you have found a bug in sourceinstall, then you should send as complete a report as possible to <[email protected]>.
GNU Source Installer is currently being maintained by Claudio Fontana <[email protected]>.
Return to the GNU Project home page.
Please send FSF & GNU inquiries to [email protected]. There are also other ways to contact the FSF.
Please send broken links and other corrections (or suggestions) to [email protected].
Please see the Translations README for information on coordinating and submitting translations of this article.
Copyright © 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are
permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this
notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.
Updated: $Date: 2013/03/19 22:56:07 $ $Author: karl $