(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Running slacko-5.4 PAE (3.4.17-PAE), no modifications or user installed packages.

I wanted to learn about Puppy Package Manager, so ran this:

/usr/local/petget/pkg_chooser.sh

From the GUI, I searched for Python, selecting the slackware-14.0 repository.

To my surprise, it showed Python already installed:

Green checkmark beside python-2.7.3, and text (ALREADY INSTALLED) under description.

However, "which python" confirms there is no python executable, and a "find" on python shows no python binary installed.

Why does PPM suggest that python-2.7.3 is installed, when there is no useful python environment actually installed?

I am looking for insight into how the package manager works, more than for info about how to get python installed (which I think is easy).

Xophist- THIS is the page you wanna start with.

Semme, that link is probably not the one intended!

tallboy

hi xophist,

the package manager lists all programs contained in the separate 'devx.sfs' as installed, whether the actual devx is installed or not. the devx contains python, hence it showing as installed in the ppm.

I write this from a lucid 528, so forgive me if I remember incorrectly regarding the slacko 5.4. I had the same problem with python in 5.4, the problem is that there is no alternative python version listed in the ppm. It actually seem like the python that is installed, lack all binarys. And the ppm will not let you install an already installed package.

tallboy

666philb wrote: the package manager lists all programs contained in the separate 'devx.sfs' as installed, whether the actual devx is installed or not. the devx contains python, hence it showing as installed in the ppm.

@666philb: Thanks for this. I don't understand the thinking behind the PPM's design. It does not seem helpful to be told something is installed, when it can't be used.

tallboy wrote: It actually seem like the python that is installed, lack all binaries. And the ppm will not let you install an already installed package.

@tallboy: again this behavior puzzles me.

I've always avoided package managers because they seem ill-behaved in strewing files across the filesystem, and do a poor job of removing their litter on uninstall.

However, the quality of slacko induced me to take a look at PPM.

If I can't understand this oddity reported here, I'll give up and stick with installing everything by hand.

Thanks for the helpful replies.

Well, there seem to be an ongoing debate about the ppm's behaviour in several puppys, and I think it would be a phenomenal job if someone eventually make all ppms work as intended; it is not an easy task when you consider all the repositories that has to work together! Cudos to those who dive into the murky waters of ppm! In the meantime, a manual install is fortunately a simple task in Linux.

xophist wrote:However, the quality of slacko induced me to take a look at PPM.

Actually, the fact that Slacko 5.4 recognized and made my ZTE MF636 modem work, was what attracted me to this puppy; it is on a very short list of puppys that do that!
I'm writing this from the latest Lucid_5.2.8 (which incidentally don't recognize that modem, but is otherwise superb!), but I have used a dpup484beta4 along with a dpup485 (which do), for a long time now.

I think we shall give the 5.4 some time to mature, and I will definitely make it my future choice for a live puppy, when all the wrinkles are ironed out.

tallboy