Makedeb MPR

[Grogan]

I was reading a readme for something else, and I came across some Debian instructions that mentioned using the "MPR" for installing build dependencies. I was curious enough to find out what that was and it's interesting. It fills a need because building packages on deb distros is a pain in the ass and fairly rigid. Not flexible like... Arch

https://docs.makedeb.org/using-the-mpr/introduction/

Introduction

The makedeb Package Repository (abbreviated MPR) is a user-maintained repository of build files (PKGBUILDs) that can be built with makedeb and then installed with APT.

The MPR takes its roots in the Arch User Repository, from which the code of the platform was originally conceived.

The MPR was designed to aid users who use makedeb to more easily find and build their favorite packages that might not be in their distribution’s repositories.

The MPR was also made to solve a lingering problem with alternatives such as PPAs: centralization.

With PPAs, you only get a select group of packages with each repository. On top of this, PPAs require adding extra signing keys to your system, can become out of date easily, and can become tedious to deal with when you want to remove them from your system.

Everything in the MPR is inside of a central repository, meaning you don’t have to scour for the packages you want across multiple repositories.

If you want to remove the MPR from your system, there’s also no configuration files to remove. Just uninstall the offending packages, and you’re done.

The MPR also makes it easier for users to start sharing their own packages through the use of the PKGBUILD package format. Other Debian-based build utilities often require configuring multiple files, and require a more complex setup compared to PKGBUILDs, which, in most circumstances, only consists of a single file.

I'd have to say that the PKGBUILD format is the best packaging system. It's somewhat like our beloved SlackBuilds, only with dependencies (and they are flexible at that... they are simply defined in the PKGBUILDs and don't necessarily have to be exact, because of "provides=" lines in packages that replace system packages differently. For example what I do, make one monolithic package instead of a bunch of split ones etc.)

I would use this if I had to use a .deb distro.

[Zema Bus]

Interesting. I have a few Debian installs on low power machines I don't reboot very often.

[Grogan]

I'd guess that you don't compile things very often on them either, though

(deb distros are pretty good for systems like that, where you're just going to use packages. I'll admit to preferring them when I was using that Acer Aspire Atom netbook. I think it's Xubuntu on there now, though I haven't booted it in 4 years, and the battery will be stone cold dead, maybe fucked after that long. I did compile kernels though, it would take a good 90 minutes... one time I had to leave so I took it with me and let it finish at Bob's and thinking it wouldn't be long, I didn't bring the AC... I had to hibernate it because the battery was getting low lol)

[Zema Bus]

Nope lol! But I do also have a Debian install on my main machine, I rarely boot into it but I could give this a try there.