sorry but I’m still new to Manjaro and Arch Linux with the AUR Packet Manager. Currently I run into a problem with dependencies. I want to install a WhatsApp client on my machine. But it’s just symbolic for other apps as well.
When I tried to install the package, the Pamac Package Manager wanted to remove my latest nodejs installation and replace it with the lts version. I don’t want to do this. Of course I can edit the Build-Files.
But isn’t there a simpler solution to resolve such problems? Like running the App in a container like Docker? You know, with npm and pip we are already at a point, where we are in a dependency hell. Where one packet for one project requires one version and another requires another version.
That’s why we use different environments, where no matter what we install, it does not break the running system. Is there also something like this for AUR Packages?
Using python venv and nvm/pnpm the applications are effectively run in separate environments in your user’s home folder.
AUR does not work like that but using AUR you are effectively building a package that will be added to the system and tracked by pacman.
If that is not what you want - you can use flatpak, snap or even containerise using docker or podman.
When it comes to apps based on nodejs - unless you want pacman to track the files - you simply download the archive from the vendors website - unpack it into a convenient folder inside your home - then run the app.
The [Postman application] is a good example, but you could as easily use the same method for the WhatsApp client.
You can also place the app in the /usr/local tree with a launcher in /usr/local/bin.
To use the AUR, the system should be fully up to date.
sudo pacman-mirrors -f sudo pacman -Syu
If Any AUR package causes trouble at this stage:
remove it.
Reinstall later - AUR packages often need to be rebuilt anyway against newer system libraries anyway.
When the base system is dealt with, you can tend to AUR and to the package you want and it’s dependencies.
With pamac or it’s GUI, the process should be the same - first update without AUR support, then with.