Introduction
============
To use applications on AmigaOS/MorphOS users have very often to go to several different websites, download, extract and install the files manualy. This is time consuming and can lead to a messed up system.

MorphUp is a package manager to solve this problem. It is implemented in two parts, the generator and the client. The generator is used to generate the packages, which can be hosted on any http-server and the client is used to fetch them and handle them, on the target machine...

Features
========
Overall features over both applications:

Packagesystem
-------------
- Packages can be grouped by type.
- Theoreticaly unlimited packages per group and unlimited dirs/files per package.
- Can handle file size up to (the DOS limitation of) 2 GB.
- Extraction of files without the need of unpacking the whole package.
- Real directory structures in packages.
- 3 different package types.
- Full packages, to transfer a huge amount of files at once.
- Single packages, to safe bandwitch if only a few files need to transfered.
- Link packages, to refer to other archives.
- Full packages automaticly split into parts if they grow too larger while generation.
- Dynamic block compression based on zlib.
- Differentiation between system and application files.
- Tag-based saving to easy add things later.

GUIs
----
- Multithreaded MUI applications, can handle multiple indexes at same time.
- Many editing functions like: add, remove, makedir, add recursive...
- Cut&Paste edit mode, even over different packages.
- Dynamic context menus.
- Controlable through application menus, contextmenus, keyboard.

Other
-----
- Configurable datatype system.
- Configurable data classes system, to avoid hardcoded paths.
- Configurable package classes system.
- Uses XAD system to support many types of archives in link packages.
- Packages can have a picture, either JPG or PNG/PNG + alpha
- Multilevel log system with possibility to log to disk.
- Small memory usage.

Grab it HERE

Great, looks very good.
But now i am missing some server ;)

You can test with this one:

http://member.ycn.com/~hausrup/morphup/morphos/index_mos.pmi

@naTmeg: it seems to work *very well*...

Some questions though:

.With the server, when adding files to a package, is there a way to add a complete directory and its subdirectories ?
=> Pressing "all files" on the requester only selects and adds files found in the selected directory.

If not, that's a suggestion :)

.Where are the package description & picture displayed in the Client ? I created a package, put in on a server and run the client: I was able to see its contents, name, and download it but its description and picture didn't appear anywhere...

.Is there a way to execute a script at the end of the installation of a package ?

If not that's another suggestion :)

=> We could for example imagine a script that adds the newly installed application on the desktop, or on a panel if the user wants to... The application could also be launched after the installation is finished. And what if an assign is needed ?

Keep up the great work !

Leo.

@leo:

The answers for your questions are in the context menus. They built dynamic for every entry/type selected :)

Congratulations to all involved!

[ Edited by pixie on 2005/12/23 0:37 ]

I've been waiting for this one. Can it be used in its current state to look at my system and then go look for what I need to update? Cant wait to see it it action.

Congratulation!

I've not tested yet, but I've a question: does it use MD5 to check files version or/and version tag ($VERS)? Because not all files have a version tag.

@Yomgui:

it uses MD5 for checking files valid, and it uses $VER, if found :)

naTmeg :  Great Job ! Really !
But, one thing is missing : a description of the package to know what we're going to install.

--
/me is going to put some money on the bounty.

@BatteMan:

You can see the descrition if you enable the "Info-Group" in the client. Press RMB in the left list and select "Show info group" from context menu. Cycle the "Mode" from "Picture" to "Info". Now you should see a short/long description... :)

and another package to test
Thanks Krashan
http://teleinfo.pb.bialystok.pl/~krashan/software/tte/files/ttengine.pmi

[ Edited by roschmyr on 2005/12/25 18:14 ]

I've mailed naTmeg already about agreeing on MIME type for MorphUp packages (my proposal is 'application/x-morphup'), so we can arrange browsers (after adding some functionality to MUClient) in such a way that click on *.pmi link will start MUClient automatically and add the new source. Of course there is some problem, you have to be an administrator of a web server to effectively add a new MIME type (which is the case for me ).

How to configure IBrowse to directly load a .pmi into muCl:

1. Get latest client via MU
1. Open IB/Settings/Ext.Viewer
2. Add a new MIME type:
- Type: application/x-morphup
- Ending: pmi
- Action: External Viewer
- Viewer: muCl
- Args: ADDSERVER %r

...before pressing a .pmi-link make sure muCl is NOT running, because only one instance is allowed. If you try to add a index that is already in the listtree you will get the error-msg "This server/index already exists".

First of all, very nice work! It seems to be already usable and useful, therefore I made a (small) well deserved donation to the bounty! - the bounty is still open for donors - hint! hint!

I'd have a couple of suggestions:
- I think the client should report an up-to-date packet if the only diffs are located in the icons: for instance, you get an orange sign if you change a tooltype, and this would happen if you changed the icon with one taken from the Contrib/ dir often found in the archives. Of course you can easily check everything from MuCl, but I'd like the check to report the green signs in these cases, so that I don't have to further control.
- is it possible to have the possibility to create a packet and a description, save it in some kind of Packet Manager Description file, and then create/update an index (.pmi) just adding new "descriptions" (say, .pmd or anything else)? This would be useful for sites like MorphZone or morphos-news, and possibly AmiNet, if it was easy it wouldn't give much work to the moderators (even better if it was semi-automatic), and with just a couple of Index we would check the majority of software. Moreover, not all the authors would need some webspace of their own to support MorphUp. Yet, by adding the "description" themselves, there wouldn't be a duplication which would be confusing: all the sites would use that one. Moreover MuCl might cross check packages on different sources to get the latest, even if sometimes not all the sites have an updated one.
- this is more a question: if the user has a newer system file than the one that's going to be installed, is copy skipped by default?
- is it possible to create some cross-dependencies between packets? For instance, YAM needs some MUI classes not included in the archive: I think they should be "linked" (and downloaded with YAM itself anytime they are needed and not present/obsolete).
- I agree with the suggestion to let some scripting be executed as part of the installation process (even just simple DOS scripts). This should be carefully planned though, in order to prevent malicious exploits (although any unverified script is potentially dangerous).
- I would add some subclasses to the Package Classes: I have subdirs in Graphics and Games, for instance... It should be possible to discriminate between Picture Viewers/Image Processors/Paint Programs and 3D, or between SDL ports/Arcade/FPS, or between Browsers/P2P/Mail/Instant Messaging. In order not to give too much hassle to the user, uspecified subclasses should "backfall" to their principal class, so, if you have a single level tree you wouldn't need to specify anything more than now. In my case, a check for ShowGirls would fail as it stands now...

That's all, for now . I'd like to hear also Dr.Morbius and tokai opinion about this program, since they wrote a good article about Installation Procedures...

Kind regards,
Andrea

@pOS:
>How can I define a local directory to install the packages from instead from an internet location ? Do I have to us an URL like file://Work:Downloads/ ?
What do you mean by this? If you want to handle .pmi files from disk, use "Add Index" button. This loads local (on your machine) indexes ie. for testing before upload.

>Is it possible to install packages also if the index file doesn't exist (any more) ß
No, thats not possible so far, but should be a option in the future.

>Can I extract package files manually, too ?
Why you should do that? I see no reason in doing this.


@guruman:
>I think the client should report an up-to-date packet if the only diffs are located in the icons...
Yes, in the future there should be an alternate state of the icons, showing the install-state, not only the file-state like now.

>Is it possible to have the possibility to create a packet and a description...
Thats a good point, but sounds a bit complicated to implement in the current state. Such complexity was not planned in the beginning, was not in the bounty requirements.

>I agree with the suggestion to let some scripting be executed as part of the installation process...
This option is discussed in many ways already and i agree with you. Could be implemented after 1.0...

>I would add some subclasses to the Package Classes...
Ok, but then one _must_ give a path for such a subclass. There is no difference to "Install at..." then.

Thanks for your feedback :)

Quote:
That was my question. Ok, will give it a try.

Quote:

Some background:
1.As I only have a 58K modem connection at home, I often use you another computer to downlaod archives/packages than the one they are to be installed.
2.I often don't want to install immediately after download.
3.Sometimes I like to have a look at the contents of an archive *before* I install it, especially if some system components might be changed.
Now imagine, MorphUp becomes such a success that some programms are not offered as .lha archive any more but only as MorphUp package. Then it would be nice to still have the ability (at least sometimes) to extract it manually and check its contents.

One more question/suggestion.
If I understood right, links are meant to create dependencies between packages ? If so it would be nice to make those dependencies a bit more flexible.
I'll give you an example:
You have a package for MyNewMP3Player. The programm requires mpega.library. There are two implementations of this library, the original one and the one based on libmad. So MyNewMP3Player.package should have a dependency that ITHER mpegorig.package OR mpeglibmad.package must be installed before. And of course, if someone already has installed his favourite implementation it shouldn't automatically be overwritten by another one.

@pOS:
>Sometimes I like to have a look at the contents of an archive *before* I install it...
Well, with the client you see all contents and descriptions even before downloading the package.

>If I understood right, links are meant to create dependencies between packages ?
No. Link-packakages are use to refer to antoher archives, ie. files on aminet. At generation, you must give the URL to the archive you want to refer to. Then this archive is
temporary downloaded by the client and converted to a index file. So, if you install such a package it grabs from aminet instead from ie. your HP. People can use this if they have no hostspace. Its just a link to another archive of any type, like lha, lzx, zip...

guruman wrote:

"- I would add some subclasses to the Package Classes: I have subdirs in Graphics and Games, for instance... It should be possible to discriminate between Picture Viewers/Image Processors/Paint Programs and 3D, or between SDL ports/Arcade/FPS, or between Browsers/P2P/Mail/Instant Messaging."

I've made up an alternative to the old Aminet dir structure (with help from Felix Schwarz and others), that is much more user-friendly and up-to-date. Feel free to use and abuse it! :) (And it could make a good category standard for the Package Manager- mail me if you want a better formatted version):


Amiga/AROS/MorphOS App Categories V1.3 (28/12/05)


Audio


Audio Utilities

Sample Editing/Manipulation

Midi/Mod Sequencing Editors

Miscellaneous Audio Programs

MP3 Grabbers

MP3/Midi/Mod/Internet Radio Players



Business


Accounting Programs

Application Service Provider Programs (ASP)

Calendar Programs

Database/Data Mining Programs

E-Commerce Software

Enterprise Resource Planning Programs (ERP)

Miscellaneous Business Programs

Personal Information Managers



Communications


Communication Utilities

E-Mailers

Fax Programs

IRC/FTP/SSH/Version Control Programs

Instant Messaging Programs/Internet Phone/Video Conferencing Software/Webcams

Miscellaneous Communication Programs

Peer To Peer File Sharing Programs

IP Stacks/Firewalls

Web Browsers



Data Storage/File Management


CD/DVD Burning Programs/Utilities

File Management Programs

Miscellaneous Data Storage Programs

PDA Utilities

Storage Utilities:
Archivers/Dearchivers
Backup Utilities
Encryption Programs
Optimiser/Defrag Utilities
Miscellaneous
Monitors



Demos


Intros

Magazine

Miscellaneous Demos

Demo Parties

Slideshows

Sound



Development Tools


Languages:

Arexx
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Assembler
Assemblers/Disassemblers
Source
68k
PPC
x86
Utilities

Basic
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

C/C++/Objective-C/C#
Compilers
Source
Utilities

E
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Fortran
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Java
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

JavaScript
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

LISP
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Pascal
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

PHP
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Python
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Ruby
Compilers/Interpreters
Source
Utilities

Development Libraries

Development Utilities

Editors/Integrated Development Environments

GUI Builders

Miscellaneous Development Programs



Games


Beat-em-up Games

Board Games

Card Games

Emulators (Arcade, Sega, Nintendo etc)

First-Person Shooters

Game Cheats and Walk-Throughs

Game Utilities

Kids Games

Miscellaneous Games

Movement/Webcam Games

Platform Games

Puzzle Games

Quiz Games

Role Playing Games (RPGs)

Rhythm/Music Games

Singing Games

Shoot-em-up Games

Sports Games

Strategy Games

Target (Shooting) Games

Tetris/Block/Bubble Games

Text Based Adventure Games

War/Vehicle/Space Simulators



Graphics/Video Programs


3D Rendering/Editor Programs

Animation/Video/DVD Players

Backdrops

CAD Programs

Digital Camera/Video Recorder Utilities

DVD Authoring Programs

Graphic Utilities

Paint Programs/2D Animators/Image Processors

Personal Video Recorders/Streaming Video Players

Fractal Programs

Miscellaneous Graphic/Video Programs

Multimedia Presentation Programs

Picture Viewer/Database Programs

Scanning Programs

Screensavers

Scalable Vector Graphics Programs

TV Tuners

Video Editing Programs

Video Titling Software

Video Utilities



Scientific


Atlases, Star Charting Programs

Geographic Information Software

Mathematics Programs

Miscellaneous Scientific Programs



System


Classes

Datatypes

Drivers:
Audio Drivers
Bus Drivers
Camera/Video Camera/WebCam Drivers
CD/DVD Drivers
Controller Drivers
Data Storage Drivers
Drawing Tablet Drivers
Filesystem Drivers
Firewire Drivers
Graphics Drivers
Keyboard Drivers
Miscellaneous Drivers
Modem Drivers
Monitor Drivers
Mouse Drivers
Network Drivers
PIPE Drivers
Printer Drivers
Scanner Drivers
Serial/Parallel Drivers
Tape Drive Drivers
Touchscreen Drivers
TV Tuner Drivers
Wireless Drivers
USB Drivers

Fonts

Libraries

Handlers (L: dir)

Keyboard Maps (Keymaps)

Miscellaneous System Programs

MUI Window/Gadget environment
Reaction Window/Gadget environment



Text/Word Processing, Desktop Publishing, Office programs


Font Utilities

Miscellaneous Text Programs

Office Programs/Word Processors/Desktop Publishers/HTML Editors

Print Programs

Spreadsheet Programs

Spell Checkers/Thesauruses

Text Utilities

Text Viewers/Editors



Utilities


Ambient Utilities

Backdrops

Boot Utilities

Calculators

Clocks

Miscellaneous Utilities

Operating System/Hardware Emulators

Shell (CLI) Programs

System Monitors/Utilities

Virus/Spyware Checkers

Workbench Utilities






[ Edited by Ants on 2005/12/28 23:03 ]

@Ants:

Thanks to all involved for that nice collection :)