I have been impressed by Saurik's efforts to open up the iPhone as a unix platform ( http://www.saurik.com/id/1 ), and in particular the elegant, massively scalable, and stable host / depository system he has developed and deployed for the iPhone. As I understand it, cydia is an implementation of the APT (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Packaging_Tool )
For those not familiar with his system, it works like this:
• you open up his package installer - on the iPhone/Saurik version, it is named "cydia" - and it gives you a list of installable apps
• it somehow knows - i am not familiar with the tech behind this - what packages/apps are installed on your phone
• it checks this list against the depository to see if any of your packages have been upgraded
• if so, it downloads and cleanly installs the new package, deleting and removing outdated elements
• if required, it force reboots *(after a warning!)
end story
This is incredibly useful and insures that one is always up to date. It also automates management tasks and avoids known incompatibilities.
So - here is the request: Would it not be possible to create an APT-type host/depository ruby system for auto-managing all the incredible plugins available here, on smustard, and elsewhere? Why not create a master ruby (hello SMUSTARD!!!) which does this.
It would be amazing to simply "subscribe" to a plugin rather then chase after Fredo6, whaat, TIG, and the all the other incredible masters active here. Why not simply "subscribe" to Fredo6, and then when his lib is updated, I get a little message in SU - "Fredo6 has again rocked the SU world...press here to upgrade Tools On Surface & JPP to the latest Comprehensive Refresh build Number 3.2.3..."
I wish I had the skills to do this but alas - the idea is all I can provide, after all, I am an architect, not a Ruby Master ...
Thoughts/reactions greatly appreciated.
best to all
thinkbuild