Service files packaging

[javalsai]

I don't expect to get many replies now but I want to leave this open for discussion as to when someone wants to bring this up. Will also reference this discussion on the documentation.

Right now there's absolutely no packaging format for service files. It's not an issue as the project is small but I understand it will end up being really convenient to also get updates for the init system if any important changes requires it, specially on something as important as your init system.

On one hand I could create different packages for each init system, but on the other hand I could just bundle systemd service files by default, I dislike the systemd forced inclusion but at the end of the day is what 99% of the user base uses and what they expect to receive.

Another option is to make the init system packages provide something like lidm-service and make it a dependency or optional dependency of the main package, but I can imagine this bringing several dependency issues or some problems for niche setups where one doesn't want to depend on the service files or wants to install multiple (maybe it's still possible though).

Idk, if anyone has any good ideas on how to tackle this I'm all ears on how to do this.

[grialion]

Make it easy for this project to be packaged. Don't package yourself, just make it possible.
Every system (distro) could have its own packaging scheme or project that handles the init systems their own way.

[javalsai]

Not only for distros but arch for example. Pretty sure 99% of packages start on the AUR and they can be brought into the official repos if they get popular enough.

Still would need to package service files and surely all official arch packages default to systemd. However artix packages init system files as a separate package, but can still have some systemd files from the official packages.

Other distros I have no clue, the current nix flake has no system files and I have no clue on how they would be packaged, not even sure if you can "install" a nix flake. And would be interesting to see how nix based distros non-systemd based do this.

And for anything else we'd first need someone up to taking care of packaging for such distro. Error might know about fedora packaging, he takes care of quickshell's fedora packaging.

[grialion]

Yes. Each distro has its own repository anyways. Just make sure the Makefile has entries for the supported init systems and the packagers can call those conveniently.
I think you could try submitting the project into arch extra packages. It is mature and popular enough.

[bradyjam]

Would it make sense to just have blocks commented in the PKGBUILD that you are warned need to be uncommented according to the chosen init system?

edit I guess this only applies to aur

[javalsai]

Could be doable but I think it brings way too many issues with reproducibility and users aren't supposed to just edit their build files. It also only applies to the tiny subset of users who use arch or an arch derivation without systemd.

[debuxxed]

i guess just follow artix's scheme. E.g. installing lidm-dinit will install lidm as dependency and additionally bring service file

[javalsai]

While still packaging the systemd files on the base lidm package? I don't like that systemd-defaultism, but if that's the convention then I'm willing to follow it. My only problem would be that I'd have to maintain several AUR packages but whatever, the service files have barely ever changed.

[debuxxed]

yuh updating aur packages is a bitch. unfortunately can't share a dependency, and then just have service-specific additions without needing to rebuild the whole stuff

[wsbankenstein]

i mean, the entire assets/services directory is 52 KiB
personally i'd happily sacrifice 52 KiB of drive space to have my init system service packaged!
so, i know it sounds a bit stupid, but - why not package all of them?

another option could be just making installation a bit more obvious (atm you have to click through 4 links to get to the installation instructions for each init system)

[javalsai]

another option could be just making installation a bit more obvious (atm you have to click through 4 links to get to the installation instructions for each init system)

tbf this is only on arch, I think I'll go with debuxxed suggested, make the lidm-myinitsystem aur packages

why not package all of them?

nobody does that, it'd be so unconventional to have like openrc service files in flat arch.

the entire assets/services directory is 52 KiB

well I'm not really packaging that but I get what you mean, its not about space but the messy file structure