Packaging for linux

[Rudiger]

I installed FB on linux (only a couple minor issues that were documented here already). and I got my program source I'd been running on windows to compile and run just fine on linux. Amazing! Its an application I started in python and am converting to FB. Its great. small executable and no python or DLLs required.

Now, I have a question. Is the executable I compiled on one linux gonna work on all or most other linux systems?

I am very familar with windows packaging. I've used a windows help file editor and packaging system and it works great. but it is for windows only. Does anyone know of help/packaging system that would be cross platform. and open source, of course.

[Sterling Christensen]

Now, I have a question. Is the executable I compiled on one linux gonna work on all or most other linux systems?

Yes, it should work on any other x86 linux.

Usually linux software is packaged as either:
1. source code with how to compile+install instructions.
2. a deb, rpm, ebuild, etc - a package format specific to a distro (or family or distros)
3. unzip (anywhere) and run.
4. like Windows software: Unzip and run installer.

Users very new to linux might be intimidated by #1, #2 is great for users but a lot of work for you, the developer. So usually linux binaries that haven't made it into distro's package database's are distributed like #3.

[Rudiger]

Does anyone know of an available free shell account that would include a FB compiler. I dont always have a linux system available to me and sometimes I just need to do a quick FB compile for linux. Also, will a linux compiled executable run on NETBSD?

[marcov]

Does anyone know of an available free shell account that would include a FB compiler. I dont always have a linux system available to me and sometimes I just need to do a quick FB compile for linux. Also, will a linux compiled executable run on NETBSD?

If you installed Linux compat on NetBSD, it should afaik. Unless e.g. NetBSD "linux" compat layer still uses libs from an older gcc version. I had problems with this under FreeBSD in the past

However there is more to the portability picture than meets the eye. Dynamically linked Linux binaries (and *nix) are not totally distribution (+version) independant. Via the used shared libraries they are somewhat dependant on libc and libgcc versions.

To avoid this, you need to link statically. This still doesn't solve all binary compat problems, but it is at least a whole lot surer. I've static binaries from the nineties that still work, but none of the dynamically linked ones work.

[Rudiger]

Polarhome.com offers shell accounts for a variety of 'nix sytems. They seem to be quite responsive for a non-commercial provider. I requested installation of Freebasic for the debian system via their forum and it was completed in a day or two. 20MB of disk space provided as well as email and webspace and a mysql database. There seem to be few restrictions on shell commands that may be executed. The only "catch" is there is a onetime $10 (US dollars) setup fee and a couple hoops to jump through to satisfy them that you are who you say you are and dont intend to use the account for malicous purposes.