this is very interesting.
It would be nice to make compiling more accessable and easy for the mainstream user.
There already are some frontends like:
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php/Kompile?content=30223and i really would love it if there was something like this for tgz/tlz slackware packages:
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php/RPM+Package+Maker?content=33228A tool to create packages
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This is really a good idea and the script is sweet too. Here are a bunch of improvements ideas:
*make it easier to write description files.It would be awesome if it was possible to automate the proces as much as possible. Like,instead of going into howto's if the user gets a little pop-up box ,where he can write name of the app,version of the app,version of the package,architecture,and description of the package+license and home page...
This can be partially automated- it can be possible to pick the name of the app from the name of the tar.gz archive, same applies for its version...but they should be changeable by the user in the dialogue window.
I mean if it was possible to make a very siple frontend to this script which basically works like this:
it has one window in which the user picks the file from anywhere ("browse" button?) or from a certain folder and under that there are text boxes for:
>name of the package
>version
>architecture ?
>version of software
>version of the package
>and where it should be installed (could be done with a slide down menu: /opt/kde ;/opt ;/usr ;custom.. or just a box: Prefix=...)
------------automated description file generator: (sepparate script to work with this one?)-------------
>a box to write description of package
>under it - license
>under it - homepage
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and after all this info is inputed the user could just click "make package" and the terminal window pops out and starts "make" and after that "checkinstall"... I know this way the user wont be able to control compile flags,etc...so the advanced user would do it by hand.
This all can be done with a simple gui frontend and needs only one or two windows...idk,atleast that is a packager's dream...

But this script is also very nice, i just suggest how it can be improved into something user-friendly.. Having a way to generate package description files is a way to go.