John, Here is a simplificatin that ought to be useful.
Take a normal computer (not a laptop, not an old dirtball 386) and install either Fedora Core 6, Mandriva, or Ubuntu and start from there. Most upstream providers will have packages and libraries that will work on those. If not, you will quickly learn from the support community for the Linux distribution you choose how to get the source and compile it. For example, on Fedora you download foo-1.2.3.tgz and type rpmbuild -tb foo-1.2.3.tgz To compile and then rpm -Ivh foo-1.2.3.i386.rpm To install the resulting file. It will then track all the libraries and version dependencies for you. In Ubuntu it is a similar process but the details are different, but there is still a dependency tracking mechanism, and there is still a community of people maintaining the stuff. Hamish VK3SB maintains the Debian (Ubuntu) versions of some of the popular ham packages. For the smaller distributions such as Puppy and Damn Small Linux, you will find less stuff ready out of the box, and will have to learn more, so if you don't have the need for the special advantages those smaller distributions offer, don't start with them. Don't use straight Debian -- it is too confusing for a "novice," and Ubuntu is just fine. Don't use SuSE unless you are in Germany (where it started and plenty are likely to use it). In the US it is mostly enterprise (xorporate) focused and you wouldn't want to use it unless that is your bag. Sometimes (fldigi, gmfsk, ibp) software will just install and work fine, either with the compilation above, or the pre-packaged files, or the more advanced (make/configure) route that doesn't track dependencies. Sometimes it will be harder (QSSTV which languished for 3 or 4 years and required patches out of the box even to compile, though someone has picked it back up). Sometimes, nothing you can do will help you figure it out because the dependencies are just too obscure and the developers, while active, have other concerns (the various Linux DTTSP wrappers for SDR receivers, for example, I find impossible, though a select few have managed it, but the majority just use the Windows code, while the DTTSP developers themselves happily develop their portion on Linux.) Leigh/WA5ZNU On Fri, 12 Jan 2007 2:18 pm, John Bradley wrote: > I rest my case: walt talks about all these different varieties of > linux, RedHat,Mandrake,SuSe, puppy linux and Debian, > > all in one sentence. I take it these OS are not compatible with each > other. How the heck can u figure out what runws best with which? > > John > > VE5MU > >> I went from IBM's PCDOS to Linux in Aug of 1991 and never run and MS >> at home. My XYL does have a XP Laptop but I don't use it. >> >> I've only run two Linux distros for my main home computer...RedHat and >> Mandrake. I have SuSe loaded on a second computer but may try Puppy >> Linux or Debian on it depending on which runs PSKMail the easiest. >> >> The only problems I have every had with Linux were caused by me >> stupidly messing with the OS. >> >> I run/manage over 150 XP clients at work and 6 big W2K servers. IMHO, >> Linux is much simpler to manage than MS. >> >> I have 16 years working with Linux and Unix and 8 years with MS. >> >> MS tight rein on companies who make drivers so their hardware can run >> on MS is probably the major problem with MS vs Linux. >> >> Walt/K5YFW >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of kd4e >> Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 6:35 AM >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [digitalradio] Movement toward open digital software? >> >>> IMHO, this KISS (Keep it simple,stupid) principle that microsoft >>> adhered >>> to would be something for linnux to examine, in order to survive >>> beyond >>> cult status............ >>> my 2 cents John VE5MU >> >> This was true several years ago but has become >> increasingly un-true with every passing day. >> >> I am not happy about tweaking anything vs using >> it -- I have managed Apple, DEC, Linux, and MS >> systems and MS is no easier than the others. >> >> I use Linux every day -- it is more functional >> and less of a hassle than MS versions of windows. >> >> The only thing that stands between Linux and the >> common user today is friends-of-MS who refuse to >> make drivers (or driver info) available for Linux >> and programmers who are inadequately competent >> to make their apps cross-platform compatible. >> >> Apple runs on their own hardware and now on PC's. >> It does everything that the various versions of >> windows from MS can do. >> >> I guarantee that Puppy Linux 2.13 is light-years >> easier to install and use than any version of >> windows that MS has ever released. It is a fraction >> of the size, is free, and includes standard office- >> type apps. It is also more stable and less vulnerable >> to viruses. Odd that a handful of volunteers can >> write it vs the billion-dollar MS corporation -- way >> late releasing Vista and will have to release hundreds >> of patches in the first year to fix errors, same as >> WinXP. >> >> I just installed MS Win98SE on a PC so the children >> could use some learning games too poorly written to >> operate cross-platform. It took hours to find and >> install the necessary drivers and I had to use >> Linux to access the Internet because MS products >> are too vulnerable to viruses. >> >> A friend has WinXP and has endless problems with it. >> His laptop had to be returned for service because a >> virus got past the protective software and made a mess. >> From all of the reports of MS Vista it suffers the same >> code-bloat as WinXP, is costly and loaded with MS >> user-limitations on moving from PC to PC and with >> their latest attempts to protect their weak code from >> viruses, and it will still have stability and >> compatibility problems. >> >> MS won the desktop because Bill Gates was a great >> salesman, not because he was a great programmer >> or technologist. >> >> -- >> >> Thanks! & 73, doc, KD4E >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> Projects: http://ham-macguyver.bibleseven.com >> Personal: http://bibleseven.com >> Note: Both down temporarily due to server change. >> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >> Announce your digital presence via our DX Cluster >> telnet://cluster.dynalias.org >> >> Our other groups: >> >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxlist/ >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/themixwgroup >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/contesting >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wnyar >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Omnibus97 >> >> Yahoo! Groups Links >> >> -------------------- >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.5.432 / Virus Database: 268.16.10/624 - Release Date: >> 1/12/2007 2:04 PM > >
