[Koha-devel] dselect non-funcitonal on Ubuntu

[Mark Tompsett]

Greetings,

There is an ubuntu-pkg-check.sh script which:
a) Is no longer referenced in the documentation
    (why should it when ./koha_perl_deps.pl -m -u is more useful! The only 
things missing after the dselect junk would be perl libraries.)
b) has to be fixed for English-centric code (bug 8840), if it were to be 
used by someone with outdated documentation
    (we all know this is a major problem with many non-official guides 
popping up on Google searches about how to install Koha)
c) could be retooled.
    (change the name to ubuntu-packages.sh add a -i to install via apt-get 
not dselect, a -c to check like the old behaviour, and a -h for help which 
this old script lacks)

Leave the ubuntu related .packages files as-is, so instructions don't 
change. Have a handy side-script to do the apt-get install calls for the 
broken multi-arch cases. Or should the instructions include how to disable 
multi-arch too? I don't think so. I also don 't think a wrapper for sudo 
apt-get install calls based on an existing file we provide is any different:

$ ./install_misc/ubuntu-packages.sh -i

vs.

$ sudo apt-get install dselect
$ sudo dpkg --set-selections < install_misc/ubuntu.packages
$ sudo dselect

Frankly, not having to install dselect (one less thing on the server = 
good), less typing (less prone to errors = good), less figuring out problems 
(=good -- oh, use ubuntu.10.04.packages on ubuntu 10.04 instead = bad). As 
for your security concern, where does the line of trust get drawn? I don't 
think a retooled script is a big issue.

GPML,
Mark Tompsett