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+# MISC
+## Manually Installed and Source Compiled
+
+*an easier way to source-compile programs and stuff*
+
+## why?
+
+I run Debian Stable, which is great for the most part.  However, there are some
+programs that I want to have a newer version of than what's in the Debian repos
+--- and the easiest way to install those is by compiling them myself from
+source.
+
+However, compiling from source can be complex and fiddly, which makes it ripe
+for automation!  `misc` is my submission into the wide and varied world of
+software building software.  I use it and not other solutions for the following
+reasons:
+
+- It's written in bash and extended in bash, the _lingua franca_ of Unix-ish
+  operating systems.  I could've done it in POSIX sh, but I really wanted to
+  have arrays.
+- Because it's written in bash, it's usable anywhere bash is installed.  So most
+  places.
+- It doesn't make too many assumptions.  It only _barely_ installs dependencies,
+  and really is just a wrapper around the ol' `./configure`, `make`, `make
+  install` workflow we all know and love.
+- It's (_going to be_) extensible to cover uses I haven't thought of yet.
+
+## usage
+
+Basic usage is simply running `misc PLAN`, where `PLAN` is a file in
+`$MISC_PLAN_ROOT` (default: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/misc`) that details how to install
+a program.  There's no differentiation between `install` and `update`, and
+there's currently no method of removing a program (in my experience,
+_uninstalling_ is more bespoke than installing and would require greater
+complexity).
+
+Programs are installed under `$MISC_INSTALL_PREFIX`, which is `$HOME/.local` by
+default.  I like putting programs under the `$HOME/.local` prefix for a few
+reasons:
+
+- They don't require `sudo` to install
+- `$HOME/.local` already includes `$HOME/.local/share`, which is
+  `$XDG_DATA_HOME` and already includes a bunch of stuff
+- It's pretty easy to add `$HOME/.local/bin` and the like to `$PATH`.
+
+Of course, you can change `$MISC_INSTALL_PREFIX` to whatever you like, either in
+your shell's initiation file or in `$MISC_CONFIG`, or
+`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/misc/misc.sh` by default.
+
+### `misc.sh`
+
+In this section, I'll discuss all the environment variables that `misc` itself
+uses.  Plans use a lot of environment variables too, but those are in the
+following section (_Plans_).
+
+- `$MISC_CONFIG` defines the location of `misc`'s configuration file.  This is a
+  shell script that's sourced before building anything.  Default:
+  `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/misc/misc.sh`.
+- `$MISC_REPO_ROOT` is the directory that all programs are downloaded or cloned
+  to.  Default: `$XDG_DATA_HOME/misc`.
+- `$MISC_PLAN_ROOT` is the directory where `misc` will search for plan files.
+  Default: `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/misc`.  *There might be a better place for these
+  but until I can think of one this is where it'll be.*
+
+The following variables are used when processing plans, but they're
+`misc`-specific.  You might want to reference these in your plans.
+
+- `$MISC_PLAN`: The name of the program to build and install or upgrade.
+- `$MISC_FULL_PLAN`: The full path of the plan file; formed from
+  `$MISC_PLAN_ROOT/$MISC_PLAN`.
+- `$MISC_REPO`: The local directory holding the source of the program being
+  built.  Most tasks should be performed within this directory.
+- `$MISC_INSTALL_PREFIX`: The installation `PREFIX` variable that's invoked when
+  `make`ing the program.  It can also be used in `$CONFIGURE_ARGS` and the like,
+  which see.
+- `$MISC_DONE`: A sigil variable indicating when building is done.  If this
+  variable is non-empty, `misc` will detect the build/install as
+  done---otherwise, it will run the default build/install flow.  The following
+  functions automatically set `$MISC_DONE`; of course you can set it yourself in
+  a plan.
+  - `repo_pull`
+  - `repo_ready`
+  - `make`
+  - `make_install`
+  - `configure`
+
+### Plans
+
+"Plans" are what `misc` calls the instruction files to install programs.  There
+are some examples in the `examples/` subfolder of this repo.
+
+Plans are simply bash source files defining some variables and optionally
+specifying build/install steps.  There is a default build process that `misc`
+will use if it does not detect any build steps being defined in the plan file.
+Below are the variables and functions in the `misc` environment at build-time;
+of course since plans are just bash files, you can define your own or really do
+anything you want.
+
+### Plan variables
+
+- `$SOURCE`: The source URL of the program's file or repository.
+- `$CHECKOUT`: The Git checkout to clone.  Default: `master`.
+- `$CONFIGURE_ARGS`: Arguments to pass to the `./configure` script.
+- `$MISC_DEPENDENCIES`: Dependencies to install via `misc` before installing the
+  planned program.
+- `$APT_DEPENDENCIES`: Depenedencies to install via `apt` before installing the
+  planned program.
+
+### Plan functions
+
+There are a number of functions defined in `misc` that plans inherit into their
+environments.  You can use all of these in plan files, though this is not an
+exhaustive list.  This is, however, all the functions that I think you might
+find useful in a plan file.
+
+#### Utility functions
+
+- `die CODE MESSAGE...`
+- `run COMMAND...`
+- `cmd COMMAND...`
+- `with_repo COMMAND...`
+
+#### Building and installation functions
+
+- `install_deps`
+- `repo_pull [CHECKOUT]`
+- `repo_download_extract`
+- `repo_ready [TARGET...]`
+- `repo_nuke`
+
+#### Plan convenience aliases
+
+Since `misc` and plan files are simply shell scripts, you could just write the
+direct commands to download, extract, and install a given program.  However,
+then there's little reason to use `misc` --- so I've included a few thin wrapper
+functions around common commands that operate in the `$MISC_REPO` directory and
+specify a prefix of `$MISC_INSTALL_PREFIX`.
+
+- `make [ARG...]`, `git [ARG...]`, `tar [ARG...]`: These run their commands with
+  a `-C $MISC_REPO` argument for ease of use.  If you want to use the raw
+  commands, `_make` `_git`, and `_tar` are defined for those.
+- `make_and_install [TARGET...]`: First runs `make` with the supplied `TARGET`s,
+  then runs `make install`.  Note that `make` is the `make` defined above, that
+  is, the `misc`-ified one.
+- `configure [ARG...]`: This runs `./configure` in the `$MISC_REPO` directory.
+  If called with `ARG`s, it uses those; otherwise it uses the arguments defined
+  in `$CONFIGURE_ARGS`.
+
+## caveats & todos
+
+As you can see from these variables and functions, `misc` is currently optimized
+for a `./configure; make; make install`-style build system on a Debian-derived
+host.  Again, since a plan file is just a shell script, you can run any commands
+you like in there---and it'll still take advantage of `misc`'s standardized
+prefix and build root.  See the `keepassxc` example for an example using the
+`cmake` system, and `lieer` for a `python`-based system.
+
+Of course, it'd be ideal to have these vagaries somewhat abstracted-away by
+`misc`, so at some point in the future I'll include some sort of "add-on" system
+where a user will be able to define further functions to fit alternative build
+systems.  I'll also want to figure out a way to generalize dependency
+installation across distributions, since the current solution (`apt install`
+hardcoded into the script) is brittle.
+
+If you have any ideas about these todos or how to solve the problems I'm
+currently facing, feel free to [email me][mailto:git@acdw.net?subject=misc] with
+your ideas.
+
+## license
+
+`misc` and all other code in this repository is licensed under the terms of the
+ISC license.  See COPYING for details.