e) e.g apt-get fetches packages for you and updates only what is necessary, but you need that executable on your machine. The dub (dlang apt-get) executable works the same way. Mr. Brukardt had an objection has to have to learn and depend on a new local executable to operate. I think someone proposed everything could be done by the server. I dont get it on how to ONLY remotely operate dependencies on a user local machine. The only thing I see is the server bundling things in a zip file with all the .gpr files automatically generated to build properly for a given machine/os combination. The user would have to manually download the archive and launch the build by hand.

OK. I essentially agree about having a client tool. Although I can see Mr. Brukardt way, requesting a library, which in turn would cause the zipping of every dependency, to me this is a long-term, even optional, goal, since it requires remote code execution (unless javascript can do this, which I don't know). To me, we should first focus on client-side tools (preferably just one, a-la apt-get, but more on this below) and server-side standard, free, services, just like this one. In other words: a zero-cost solution without possibility of downtime, nor maintenance requirements.

(In that vein, I wouldn't want to have something where you upload your library and it is prepared/stored. I'd stop at the level of a pull request for metadata).

As for the client tool, I'm nowadays a linux-only man, so with my partial view I'd advocate for either a downloadable static* pre-built executable, or (yes, I'm going to say it) a python or shell script. Of course, ideally if this takes off, the client tool could be just a regular package from the distro. For windows I only see the static executable way.

Question: does deployment includes compilation? Or could we stop as a first stage at the source code ready stage?

Perhaps we could try to define the bare minimum objectives for a pre-pre-alpha milestone.

*I've never achieved a fully static executable in linux with gnat. Even with -static, I ended with a ld-linux.so or somesuch dependency.