Clean install for packaging question

[zhymm]

While perusing another thread (http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=9825.0) I noticed that one poster stated they do a new, clean install of VL 6.0 Light before creating a package.  Is this necessary?  I've justed started packaging and have created 3 packages using the same install of VL 6.0 Light.  Have I blundered??

Old Man Zhymm

[M0E-lnx]

You do not need to make a new install every time you have to make a package.

Keeping a chroot environment inside your installation suffices most of the time. If you do end up bloating your chroot, you simply make it again... no harm to your existing running installation.

[stretchedthin]

The risk that you are trying to avoid by using a fresh install is unnecessary dependencies.  There have been cases where people have packaged a simple application and openoffice gets loaded as a dependency, just because it was in the box when the package was made.

Double check your slack-required lists.  If they are not unnecessarily listing apps from items you previously built on the box, then you are most likely ok.

At somepoint checking this way will become impossible and you will have to do a fresh install.

You can also (as Daniel pointed out in a different thread) use a live version of vl-light 6.0 for your builds.  That way you get a fresh install everytime.
http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=9825.0

[GrannyGeek]

Keeping a chroot environment inside your installation suffices most of the time. If you do end up bloating your chroot, you simply make it again... no harm to your existing running installation.

Could you explain how to do this? I have no idea how to create a chroot environment. I have done that as an experiment, but I couldn't see how it would be "clean" after I had added things needed by a package I would create. When I ran chroot, it was simply mounting my VL6 Light partition. Whatever dependencies I added would be on the actual partition. This can't be what you mean.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't understand how chroot would keep my packaging partition clean.
--GrannyGeek