[LEDE-DEV] externalizing package management?

[Stefan Lippers-Hollmann]

Hi

On 2017-01-08, Stefan Lippers-Hollmann wrote:
> On 2017-01-08, Oswald Buddenhagen wrote:
[...]
> openwrt aims to be a "proper" linux distribution, and therefore comes
> with on-device package management.
> 
> but we know that to be a problem for the more space-constrained devices.
> also, the space constraints make the package manager pretty dumb by
> modern standards. both issues have been raised in recent threads.
> 
> so how about optionally externalizing (package) management?
[...]
> Same here, sysupgrade images do update the kernel as well, so where's
> the functional difference between the status quo (using imagebuilder)
> and your envisioned plan (other than nomenclature and having to reboot
> for 'package updates' == flashing new/ modified sysupgrade images, but
> that's merely an implementation detail and unavoidable if you want/ 
> need to make use of squashfs' compression advantage)?

On the other end of the spectrum, high-end (mostly armhf based) devices
are starting to roll up the market with flash in the multiple hundreds
or even gigabyte regions[1], finally making full in-place upgrades and 
on-device package management an option (only limited by opkg's abilities 
and the in-place upgrade/ downgrade paths provided by the current 
packaging practices (maintainer scripts, library versioning, etc.), so 
for these you might even want/ need a(n even) more universal package 
manager on the devices themselves).

Regards
	Stefan Lippers-Hollmann

[1]	* mvebu (turris omnia, 8 GB flash, 1-2 GB RAM)
	* IPQ8065 (Netgear Nighthawk X4s/ r7800, 128 MB flash, 
          512 MB RAM)
	* IPQ8065 (ZyXEL NBG6817, 4 GB flash, 512 MB RAM)
	* pretty much all sunxi devboards, with NAND and sdhc
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