[chef] Installing from OS Package vs Download

[Edward Sargisson < >]

Hi all,
I'm just starting out with Chef and I have a question about cookbook design.

I've noticed that some cookbooks use the OS packaging system to get what's required while other cookbooks download a binary file.
For example, the tomcat6 package will get the file from the apache website and install from there while the mysql cookbook will use the package resource.

What guidelines do people use to decide which one to do?

I personally prefer to use the packaging system and feel uncomfortable installing from a download unless there's something in that version I really need.
This means I can be confident that what I've installed will work with my system - because the package maintainer and the community have tested it pretty thoroughly and the package will install it according to the OS layout standards.

I'm using Ubuntu but I think my comments apply generally.

Thoughts?

In my case, I'm considering modifying the public tomcat6 cookbook to get what I need via packages.

Thanks,
Edward