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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Gumby - Package dependency visualization for Linux

André Guerreiro andre.guerreiro@caixamagica.pt

6th February 2011

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Presentation Outline

1. About me2. Linux packaging landscape3. Gumby – the visualization tool4. Technical design and ideas for improvement5. Demo6. Conclusions

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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About me

● From Lisbon, Portugal● Linux user and advocate for 6/7 years● Caixa Mágica developer● MANCOOSI project involvement

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Linux Packaging 101 (Levelling the playing field)

● A Linux distribution is a big component system (> 15000 packages)

● A Package consists of: Software + Meta-data + Configuration Scripts

● Meta-data example: firefox, version 3.6.2 (...)

Requires: xulrunner >= 1.9.2.11, libsqlite >= 3.7 ...

Provides: webclient

Conflicts: sqlite < 3.0

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Why would we want to have package dependency visualization

Possible usecases

● The technically-inclined user who tries to install his favourite text editor and ends having 20+ apparently unrelated libraries blaming his distro for suffering of "bloat"

● Package Maintainers trying to assure repository consistency● Researchers investigating new dependency solvers

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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InfoViz in current tools

● Aptitude- Very limited visualization (ncurses interface for advanced users/ sysadmins)

● Debtree- The main usecase is to pipe the output into a Graphviz tool e.g.:

debtree firefox | dot -Tpng -Ofirefox-deps.png

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Introducing Gumby

Initial goals

● Native Linux Application

● Integration with the system GUI package manager (Synaptic initially...)

● To Visualize and explore package dependencies in an interesting way

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Technical Design

● Built on top of APT – quite popular meta-installer used in Debian, Ubuntu, Caixa Mágica.

● Graph Layout depends on Graphviz

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Architecture diagram

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Features

● Visualize all kinds of dependencies (requires, provides, conflicts, obsoletes)

● Progressive Exploration● Compact Mode● Zoom & pan● Different Layout schemes (powered by Graphviz)

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Demo

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Roadmap / TODO List

● Choosing and displaying a specific version of a package● Better support for Debian dependencies:

suggests/recommends, disjunctive deps (Pkg A requires B | C)● Improve the visual representation (transitions, collapse nodes)

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Wrapping up

● This should be considered as a proposal for the Linux distro community to offer some attention to a neglected area

● Gumby is still a crude prototype but the first step is always the hardest...

● I'm open for suggestions and criticism

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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One final detail, where is the code?

● http://people.caixamagica.pt/aguerreiro/gumbyor

http://bit.ly/hzMKHF

● Git repository :http://gitorious.org/cairo-graphs/gumby

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Gumby: Package dependency Vizualization for Linux

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Thanks for your attention

Questions?