[Rpm-maint] Re: [lsb-discuss] [packaging] RFC: Berlin Packaging API

[Jeff Licquia]

Dan Kegel wrote:
> Apps that are installed without root access should not
> be announced to the package manager.

Maybe, maybe not.

I agree that installs to the home directory should not report to the 
system package manager.  But I've seen a number of systems for allowing 
users to install to /usr/local or /opt, usually geared at providing 
pseudo-package-management in those directories.  If sysadmins are 
willing to grant such privileges (and it's clear that some do), why not 
allow them to report the results to rpm/dpkg?

We could implement this as an independent clearinghouse for conflict 
avoidance, sure.  But the tool would either have to know how to check 
the system package manager, or the system package manager would have to 
report in as well.  It was my thought that the package manager already 
does this, and that the code makes the most sense there, but it's worth 
asking if this should be a third-party app.