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baler-collaboration / baler

Repository of Baler, a machine learning based data compression tool
https://github.com/baler-collaboration/baler.github.io
Apache License 2.0
31 stars 26 forks source link

discussion on packaging Baler for brew and Debian repositories #289

Closed fritjof-b closed 8 months ago

fritjof-b commented 1 year ago

Hello,

As we progress with the development and user-friendliness of Baler, there's a need to discuss our transition from the current installation method (cloning the repo and setting up dependencies) to packaging Baler for both brew package manager and the Debian repository.

This transition will transform Baler from a repo-specific tool with a definite folder structure to a more globally accessible command-line tool. Users will ideally be invoking it in the format: 

baler --train -f some_file.npy
baler --compress -f some_file.npy
baler --decompress -f some_file.npy

However, this move comes with challenges. Our current setup is tightly bound to the repository's specific folder structure. Changing this would mean altering a significant portion of the underlying source code. Before embarking on this, it's crucial we gather opinions and thoughts on:

  1. Potential pitfalls and challenges to anticipate.
  2. Best practices for restructuring without affecting current users.
  3. The roadmap to ensure minimal disruption.

Some other thoughts:

  1. How do we store trained models? Is this up to every user?
  2. Do we remove the workspace option?

Please share your insights, thoughts, or concerns to guide this transition effectively. The goal is to ensure that this doesn't cause too many issues for current use.

Thank you for your input!