Creating an rpm from scratch

[Bill Davidsen]

Gordon Messmer wrote:
> On 03/15/2013 09:52 AM, Bill Davidsen wrote:
>> Sounds like NO, there has been progress in documentation since 2.5 days,
>> but sounds like it all has to be created by hand in terms of scripts,
>> spec files, etc. Thanks, but if it hasn't gotten less time consuming in
>> 12-15 years, let it be someone else's time.
>
> I started using rpm and building packages back in '97.  I'm sure that my
> inexperience made it more time consuming back then then it should have been, but
> I definitely think it's less time consuming now than it was.
>
> I saw that you were given one of the links to Fedora's rpm documentation.
> There's a larger collection organized starting here:
> https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Category:Package_Maintainers?rd=PackageMaintainers
>
> With the simple guide here:
> https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_create_a_GNU_Hello_RPM_package
>
> The rpmdev tools simplify most of the boilerplate stuff.  mock will help you
> keep devel packages out of your system, and help ensure various quality checks.
> There's a package named eclipse-rpm-editor which, if installed, will add spec
> file support to Eclipse (which will also be installed if it isn't currently).
>
> You'll never get completely away from editing a text file (the spec) while
> working with rpm.  I've worked with other installers, like NSIS, and to date
> I've never seen any that are notably easier to use than rpm.  If you really want
> something simpler than rpm, consider:
>
>    ./configure
>    make install DESTDIR=/var/tmp/package-buildroot
>    cd /var/tmp/package-buildroot
>    tar Jcf /var/tmp/package-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.xz .
>
>
Actually I'm spoiled using RPMcreator years ago, it just asked questions and did 
the rest.

But in this case, I'm dealing with people who didn't even have tar and make 
installed, and expect that if I donated the programming I should donate support, 
too. Oh, and they still remind me I haven't made a money donation this year.

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot