On Fri, 2003-06-20 at 00:38, w9ya wrote: > Well the issues you are talking about : "package management" and "query" have > little to nothing to do with the actual installation process in ANY operating > system from a user's standpoint. So.... > > I think the real issue we have been talking about is NOT installation at all. > But the rpm-drake stuff tries to BOTH install AND manage packages without a > clear understanding that a user *would* think it is too hard to install linux > programs when the gui tools are not made clean and easy for him to use. > > I *AM* saying that a user watching me install could easily think it was too > hard. And I will maintain that having to hit all these damn buttons, in the > right order, to use the rpmdrake tool to find, get, and then install a > program is MUCH harder than finding, getting, and installing a program in the > windows world. I use both, and I have been using computers for 35 years. You > will have to *exactly* explain to me how in a step by step fashion the > current rpmdrake tools are actually easier. > > Further, I *CAN* go to a gui in Windows and *CAN* find out what is installed. > You say differently, but there is a specific place to go.
You are correct. In 98 it's Control Panel - Add/Remove Programs. Within that box you have three tabs. Install/Uninstall (applies to applications that are not included with the 98 installation files, Windows Setup (applies to programs that are included with the 98 OS) and Startup Disk (which has absolutely nothing to do with Add/Remove Programs). In both Install/Uninstall and Windows Setup tabs, you can see what is installed and what is not installed. Additionally you can affect what is installed and uninstalled. So technically, IMO, this applet is presently superior to "beginner rpmdrake", aka rpmdrake 2.X. This Windows 98 control panel applet is extremely similar to what "standard rpmdrake" (aka rpmdrake 1.4) offered, except that standard rpmdrake was much more feature rich and very much superior to what the 98 Add/Remove Programs offered. (from the standpoint of functionality/cosmetics.) In fact it made a statement about the originality of the Mandrake distro and uniquely and distinctly divided it from the crowd. In much the same way that rpm divided Red Hat from the crowd and apt-get divided debian from the crowd. It had that "magic", that probably helped add the noted difference that Mandrake was winning the desktop popularity contest. > > Finally; and I cannot be any more specific that this. Why not make a better > tool than Windows has, so new users can clearly see a superiority right off > the bat. Make it gui and play in their world -view. > > Bob Well....I agree. Maintenance problems dictated that the interface be rewritten, however I believe that the cosmetics from rpmdrake 1.4 UI should have been retained, since it had the superiority and originality you refer to. --LX -- ������������������������������������������������ Kernel 2.4.21-0.13mdk Linux Mandrake 9.1 Enlightenment-0.16.5-12mdk Evolution 1.2.4-1.1mdk Linux User #268899 http://counter.li.org/ ������������������������������������������������
