Eaon wrote:
> install the latest, greatest version of Evolution (all points about it being
> beta software will be ignored - almost all open source/free software is in a
> perpetual state of beta-ness because their authors never seem to be
> satisfied) on 7.2 because I would have to upgrade almost every lib to get it
I think these lines answer your own question. Due to the nature of open
source, nobody ensures you get the same libraries, they ensure you get
the best(TM). You may like the fact that you can install Office XP on
multiple *Windows* Oses. I don't, I have never used Office in my life,
though my Univeristy has tried to force me, and I am sure employers
will, too, as they lack any sense of what is moral.
But as to not get off the topic, I do remember that the very first
version of Corel WordPerfect Suite 7 did not run on NT, because
Microsoft had not yet finalized such requirements for an app to be able
to run on both Win95 and NT 4.0. Personally, I prefer the source over
closed source apps. Mandrake may tie an app to a speciffic OS (I see no
way around this), but the fact is, you have the source, you can build
your own OS or use one of the many others out there -- not just Linux,
but any UNIX flavor.
That said, Microsoft makes it look easier than it really is. Have you
never heard of "DLL Hell"? This is Microsoft's *own* term. NT is very
different under the hood from 9x, but they have done their best to make
it somewhat transparent, but, if you are a developer (and you sound like
you're not), you will know how much of a b*tch it is just dealing with
NT-specifics.
Now, there is certainly validity to what you are saying. The Linux
Standards Base tries to help here, but I certainly don't envision a day
when RedHat and Mandrake packages would be interchangable. It might be
nice, but I just don't see how it would work. You said you disagree with
me here, but judging from what you said above, you sound like you feel
the same way as I do.
--
Sincerely,
David Walluck
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
