PackManUtil

PackManUtil is a neat command line tool that runs on shell (BASH) scripts. It was originally made for an x86_64 multilib Cross Linux from Scratch (CLFS) setup to make adding new packages easier. The idea for PackManUtil came about because I wanted to create a simple way to list all the installed programs, libraries, and directories for the CBLFS Wiki. That's how the function 'wikifi' got started, which is the original core of PackManUtil.

From Simple Beginnings

PackManUtil has grown quite a bit since those early days! It evolved into a full build system for Community Beyond Linux from Scratch (CBLFS). At home, I've got a small group of diverse machines running CLFS. Even though I don’t have many machines, rebuilding the same package over and over can get old pretty fast! So, the next step for PackManUtil was to help with building, installing, and removing packages easily. Plus, it now supports using paco, which opens up options for installing from source or using pacoballs.

Compatibility and Testing

You can run PackManUtil on x86_64 multilib systems as well as 32-bit PowerPC CLFS and i586 systems every day without issues! Both versions 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 work well with it too. While it hasn't been officially tested on a Linux from Scratch (LFS) system yet, there's a good chance it’ll work just fine.

Performance on Different Systems

I’ve also tried out PackManUtil on Slamd64 version 12.0, where most of the 64-bit builds worked with just a few hiccups here and there. Some of the 32-bit builds ran smoothly too but keep in mind that Slamd64's toolchain is different than LFS’s so not everything is guaranteed to work perfectly. Just as a heads-up, I did some minimal tests on an i686 Slackware version 12.0 setup with no problems at all!

Using SlackBuild Scripts

If you want to use PackManUtil, you can definitely try using SlackBuild scripts from SlackBuilds.org or Alien BOB! The cool part? If you remove the '.SlackBuild' extension from these scripts, they’ll still work with PackManUtil—just remember you'll need to grab the source tarball separately. You can also install binary archives meant for Slackware or Slamd64 (.tgz packages) if they're in the right spot!

Extra Features

​​​​Besides supporting paco for tracking file installations, PackManUtil also works great with Installwatch and Slackware's pkgtools.

Your Feedback Matters!

If you decide to give PackManUtil a shot, we’d love to hear what you think! Whether it’s praise or criticism—honestly even if you think it's not worth our time—we appreciate your feedback!