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A critique of package managers

(www.gingerbill.org)
109 points gingerBill | 3 comments | 08 Sep 25 12:18 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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adev_ ◴[08 Sep 25 13:47 UTC] No.45168218[source]▶
The argument here is (in brief) "Package management is hell, package managers are evil. So let's handle the hell manually to feel the pain better".

And honestly speaking: It is plain stupid.

We can all agree that abusing package management with ~10000 of micro packages everywhere like npm/python/ruby does is completely unproductive and brings its own considerable maintenance burden and complexity.

But ignoring the dependency resolution problem entirely by saying "You do not need dependencies" is even dumber.

Not every person is working in an environment where shipping a giant blob executable built out of vendored static dependencies is even possible. This is a privilege of the Gamedev industry has and the author forgets a bit too easily it is domain specific.

Some of us works in environment where the final product is an agglomerate of >100 of components developed by >20 teams around the world. Versioned over ~50 git repositories. Often mixed with some proprietary libraries provided by third-party providers. Gluing, assembling and testing all of that is far beyond the "LOL, just stick to the SDL" mindset proposed here.

Some of us are developing libraries/frameworks that are used embedded in >50 products with other libraries with a hell of multiples combinations of compilers / ABI / platforms. This is not something you want to test nor support without automation.

Some of us have to maintain cathedrals that are constructed over decades of domain specific knowhow (Scientific simulators, solvers, Petrol prospection tools, financial frameworks, ... ) in multiple languages (Fortran, C, C++, Python, Lua, ...) that can not just be re-written in few weeks because "I tell you: dependencies sucks, Bro"

Managing all of that manually is just insane. And generally finishes with an home-made half-baked bunch of scripts that try to badly mimic the behavior of a proper package manager.

So no, there is no replacement for a proper package manager: Instead of hating the tool, just learn to use it.

Package manager are tools, and like every tool, they should be used Wisely and not as a Maslow's Hammer.

replies(2): >>45168243 #>>45168695 #
1. gingerBill ◴[08 Sep 25 14:24 UTC] No.45168695[source]▶
I am not sure how you got this conclusion from the article.

> So let's handle the hell manually to feel the pain better

This is far from my position. Literally the entire point is to make it clearer you are heading to dependency hell, rather than feel the pain better whilst you are there.

I am not against dependencies but you should know the costs of them and the alternatives. Package managers hide the complexity, costs, trade-offs, and alternative approaches, thus making it easier to slip into dependency hell.

replies(1): >>45169319 #
2. adev_ ◴[08 Sep 25 15:11 UTC] No.45169319[source]▶
> I am not against dependencies but you should know the costs of them and the alternatives.

You are against the usage of a tool and you propose no alternative.

Handling the dependency by vendoring them manually, like you propose in your blog, is not an alternative.

This is an over simplification of the problem (and the problem is complex) that can be applied only to your specific usage and domain.

replies(1): >>45169421 #
3. gingerBill ◴[08 Sep 25 15:19 UTC] No.45169421[source]▶
It is an alternative, just clearly not one you like. And it's not an oversimplification of the problem.

Again, what is wrong with saying you should know the costs of the dependencies you include AND the alternative approaches of not using the dependencies?—e.g. using the standard library, writing it yourself, using another dependency already that might fit, etc.