Hi, I am currently working on project that I’m calling Installies. It is a tool for Linux that makes it easy to find and use bash scripts to install, remove, update, or compile apps. You can add specific scripts for different distros or architectures.
I have been working on this for the past couple of months, and it is nearly ready to be released. Lately I realized that I haven’t asked any other Linux users if they would find it useful, so if you could tell me if you might find it useful, or any advice/feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
It would be easier for me to understand if you can explain how this is different from the various other methods of installing software onto a computer.
- How is this different from a package manager, or something like FlatPak or AppImage, where you can find scripts (not necessarily bash scripts) to install whole packages from a binary repository?
- How is this different from Nix or Guix, which provides a method of automatically setting up a shell environment with all dependencies ready for you to build a piece of software from its source code?
- Is there an advantage to your solution over something like OhMyZsh, which provides a repository of Zsh functions you can install to configure the Zsh user interface.
- Is there a reason why, if someone does not want to use a package manager, or Nix/Guix, they would prefer to use your solution rather than just go to the website and find the script there to install the software they need?
- It is different from a package manager because it isn’t platform specific because you can add scripts for any distro or architecture.
- It isn’t really comparable to something like that because it just stores and runs bash scripts to install stuff.
- It can install any app, from anywhere, not just specific to zsh.
- It’s mostly convenience. Also, not all websites have a script to remove once installed, or automated ways to update.
it isn’t platform specific because you can add scripts for any distro or architecture.
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it just stores and runs bash scripts to install stuff
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to remove once installed, or automated ways to update.
Well, any Linux distro has a package manager which you can use to install, update, or remove software. So can Nix, Guix, AppImage, and FlatPak. And Nix and Guix allows you to build from source code.
So I guess my question is, if I were thinking about using your app to install software, and update and remove it, how is it more convenient than using my ordinary package manager? If it is more convenient for building software from source, how is it more convenient than Nix or Guix?
Just drop it! I like the idea. Who cares if it’s going to be used by a lot of people. You enjoyed making it, you make others happy, people might enjoy contributing, and you give inspiration to the community. That’s all that matters.
You rock! Thanks for creating this.
If the project is useful for you and you’re happy with code and documentation: release it.
It doesn’t really matter if it’s usefull for others. Write it for yourself and learn from it. I myself wrote copying script for terminal and I am sure no one else going to use it just me and thats fine.
I’m all for building new tools!
You might want to take a hard look at a lot of the ways Homebrew works to find similar problems you’ll need to solve to make this production ready.
