[Bf-funboard] Autopackage for linux (installer)

Campbell Barton cbarton at metavr.com
Thu Jun 7 18:36:59 CEST 2007


Hi, this is to DJC but also linux'ers might find it interesting.

Im looking into making blender have better  integration in linux and as 
a part of this, an installer would be nice for releases
as well as testing - (upload installers to graphicall for instance).

Advantages of autopackage are..
* nicer for users to have an installer.
* we can control how blender is launched - with a terminal for instance.
* automated package build process (just run makeinstaller in the blender 
directory)
* Blender3D in the menu and *.blend mime types associated.
* Small package (3.0meg, 3.5 meg with python statically linked)
* it does some tricks to make the resulting binary compatible with a 
wider range of GLIBC versions (back to Glibc 2.3).


Here are some instructions for making an autopackage of blender (with my 
spec)

Heres a movie of a package being installed.
http://autopackage.org/flash-demos/Autopackage-install.swf

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/User:Ideasman42#Autopackage_.26_Blender_in_Linux


My request is to add the spec to blenders SVN. so could other Linux devs 
  comment?

Some decisions that need to be made also..
* Python 2.5: Expect it installed? || Staticly link? || provide our own 
python with blender (like win32 does).

* Build options... can work that out along the way - using scons right now.

* how to deal with duplicate versions, where to install etc.

If there are problems, there is nothing forcing us to use by next release.

- Cam




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