= Packaging =

We want to package Tahoe for people to download and use and we want to use
3rd-party libraries. The following are our current desiderata:

 * For certain deployment targets, we can produce a Tahoe binary package for
   that platform, ship that package to a user using that platform, they can
   install that package, and it will work. That is: user doesn't have to
   manually satisfy any dependencies by building other packages.
   * For Ubuntu "edgy" and "feisty" platforms, as well as Debian "etch", this
     is accomplished by adding the following clause to
     {{{/etc/apt/sources.list}}} and then running
     {{{apt-get install allmydata-tahoe}}}:

{{{
deb http://allmydata.org/debian  $DIST  main tahoe
}}}

 * this covers all major debian-derived platforms released in the last year.

For libraries that Tahoe uses, we have these desiderata:

 * We use the source code as it is written by upstream. That is: no patching
   required.

 * Use it as it is packaged by upstream. That is: we prefer to get a copy of
   the source code of the package as upstream prefers to distribute such
   source code, rather than by pulling from their revision control tool or so
   on.

 * The user doesn't have to manually resolve any conflicts (this means that
   we either have to automatically use a 3rd-party library if it is already
   installed or else we have to automatically force Tahoe to use the copy
   that it came bundled with).

 * Make it convenient for someone to use other versions of the packages that
   we use e.g. system-wide packages or newer or alternate versions, etc..

 * Bundle required libraries with the Tahoe distribution so that if someone
   downloads the distribution, moves to a desert island without a net
   connection, and then installs, it works.


== setuptools ==

One option is to use a Python packaging tool named [http://cheeseshop.python.org/pypi/setuptools setuptools].

Advantages (note that each of these are options provided by setuptools, not requirements imposed by the use of setuptools):

 * management of dependencies (even on platforms that don't have a native package manager);  This is the important feature.

 * integration with http://cheeseshop.python.org/ -- with setuptools we can update the [http://cheeseshop.python.org/pypi/allmydata-tahoe allmydata-tahoe metadata at the cheeseshop] automatically, and also upload packages to be distributed from cheeseshop

 * for hackers who want to use Tahoe, and who like setuptools, this makes using Tahoe convenient and pleasant for them

 * replace "build/configure/package/distribute/test/develop" code written in the Make language with code written in Python;  One specific instance of this is {{{./setup.py test}}} which runs the unit tests

We already have [http://allmydata.org/darcs.cgi/tahoe-setuptools/?c=annotate&p=20070522155758-eb44e-15f8219675d4b35b2488bc742f46714526d61cb3.gz a patch] which changes Tahoe to use setuptools, but it doesn't solve the "How to integrate smoothly with platform-specific package managers." part yet.

== related tickets ==

The primary ticket for tracking our progress on this issue:

#82 -- remove the "build" step in the "edit, build, run" cycle

Other related tickets:

#10 -- clean up after yourself when told to "make clean"

#47 -- use pyutil as a separate package and contribute src/allmydata/util/* into pyutil