Changes in KCP policy

demm

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It has long been made clear why KCP is in place and what is useful to add:

This is getting ignored by almost 80 % of the packages currently in KCP. All those are just plain copies with nothing added to make them correct for KaOS.

There is no need to fill KCP with hundreds of straight copies, all users can get the originals.

This means from now on, all copies will be removed, there will be a 7 day period in which you can edit PKGBUILD to make them unique for KaOS. After that period, removal will start.

Hace bastante tiempo se dejó claro por qué esta KCP y qué es util agregar ahí:

Esto es ignorado por al menos el 80% de los paquetes que actualmente se encuentran en KCP. Todos esos son sólo copias sin ningún agregado para hacerlos correctos para KaOS.

No hay necesidad de llenar KCP con cientos de copias directas, todos los usuarios pueden obtener los originales si lo desean.

Esto significa que de ahora en más, todas las copias serán eliminads, habrá un perído de 7 días en que podrán editar los PKGBUILDs para hacerlos únicos para KaOS. Luego de ese tiempo comenzará la eliminación.

cellix

The list of PKGBUILD which will to be removed if nothing is done:

raul338

The list of PKGBUILD which will to be removed if nothing is done:

I can't access that link (blank page)

thomaslemmens

Confirmed.

Yesterday it was accessible, not so today.

cellix

Indeed. The list is copied here, for 1 week :

llogg

Why was my hal-flash package removed? It was not a duplicate of anything in the KCP and provides necessary functionality for anyone wanting to watch DRM streaming video using the flash player in firefox?

demm

Please read what the removal was about. Straight copies from non KaOS/KCP repos without setting any to how KaOS works are a useless way of having KCP, just use whatever original copy you find locally. Only add to KCP what actually is adjusted/written from scratch for KaOS.

llogg

Well, I wish you well with your project, but it seems as though KaOS is not suitable for my needs. The idea of a lean KDE and Pacman based distro sounds great, but your leadership style is very off-putting. Again, I wish your project success.

adurol

Some users might bit under a misconception what KCP is about, so let my give you my opinion.

I divide it stereotypical into two user-approaches:

The GUI User

You use an app with a graphical user interface to de/install and search for software. Octopi is your friend.

In the systray you will find a little symbol indicating if your software is up-to-date or not. Open Octopi and search within it for the software you need.

KaOS strives to deliver the latest upstream version possible. If you still find that you software is outdated, feel free to search for it in the Online Package Viewer and flag it as outdated. As long as nothing major blocks it, within a few days you will see the new version.

If can't find your needed Software, try hitting the alien-button in Octopi and search again to see if the community has filled the gap.

If you still can't find your needed software that way, than sorry: KaOS might be not for you.

The CLI User

KaOS uses Pacman as package manager (like OpenSuse uses zypper, Fedora uses dnf, Debian uses apt-get and Gentoo uses emerge).

And to say this beforehand (as said many times, see the FAQ): KaOS is NOT another Arch based distribution!

Even if KaOS uses pacman it is not Arch Linux. Fedora ain't CentOS either.

To get software, you will need PKGBUILDs. These are like recipes for your software.

You create a PKGBUILD for the software you need.

This package script is written by humans

You build the package (the things called *.pkg.tar.xz).

This does makepkg for you

makepkg belongs to pacman

More information about building you packages can be found in the Packaging Guide

You install the package (application.pkg.tar.xz) with pacman

so pacman can manage the new software for you like the rest of your installed software (hence, package manager)

You can find all PKGBUILDs of the KaOS-repos core, main, apps on GitHub.

For the official repositories, the packages are already build for you, so you just have to download and install them. This does pacman (or Octopi as frontend) for you.

You are free to install every software you deem necessary.

As KaOS uses pacman like Arch, Chakra, ... some (or better: most) PKGBUILDs are usable after slight modification (dependencies might be named different, adjustment to the python or qt, ...).

Sometimes, you come across software where you think, every user of KaOS might profit from it. And here comes KCP in.

KCP (KaOS Community Packages) offer ready-made PKGBUILDs for KaOS, with the benefit of tight integration into Octopi.

If you want to offer the software for all user, you can apply for a KCP-membership. You become de-facto a maintainer for your (and if you want, every other) software in KCP.

Please note that if you do this, you are willing to update your PKGBUILD. The power of KCP also lies in the tight integration with Octopi. If a new version of your software comes out and you update the PKGBUILD, every user will get the new version. In Octopi, the steps build and install are automatically done for the user. The community creates the PKGBUILD.

The thing is: KaOS, is a lean KDE Distribution. Thousands of packages (and therefore thousands of PKGBUILDs) are not the goal of KCP! Then you're better of with OpenSuse, Fedora & co.

If you can find a good PKGBUILD elsewhere and it works, there is no reason to upload it to KCP. If you are like the only one using the software, no reason to upload it to KCP. You're free to do with your installation of KaOS what you want. Just keep in mind: things might break. You need to know what you do.

Sometimes, good old KDE4-apps are missing in KDE Applications (Plasma 5). For example at the moment krename. A "KDE-approved" successor is missing. rkrenamer might be a good alternative, and can be found in KCP. It's Qt-based and fits therefore perfectly into a Qt\KDE-oriented distribution like KaOS.

This is, why KCP exist.

Another good reason might be, that there are PKGBUILDs for the software in other pacman-distros, but the adaption to KaOS is heavier. But please keep in mind: will every user profit from it? (Sorry, but I don't perl-modules for bioinformatic ;) )

If there a doubts, just open a new thread and ask. Be polite, show that you know what you're doing and ask if what you think and want is good.

Blindly uploading to KCP and then rant when your PKGBUILD gets removed... helps nobody.

The things said above are my personal opinion on these. The admins and maintainer of KaOS have the last word! Period.

Nothing is set in stone so some things might change over time. Please read and think further. Thanks.

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EDIT: Corrected the distribution comparison

llogg

1. Playing DRM protected videos is a pretty widely desired function.

2. I did not rant.

3. The pkgbuild worked fine, although I did screw it up the first iteration. It was not out of date.

4. The idea that something has to be written from scratch for KaOS to include it in the KCP is, frankly, stupid. The idea of any central repository is to collect useful software and provide an easy way to stay up to date. Not many people are into bioinformatics, but a ton of people watch streams of ESPN, HBO, Netflix, and many other video sources.