Hi Dark, No offense taken. I do understand your opinion, and it is a common issue with new Linux users I've encountered on the VI Linux mailing lists. The idea of having to compile software etc frankly scares them, but in time many find it is not as bad as they had first thought. Like you they have no background with the tools etc involved and doubt they can do it. However, that is what mailing lists, howtos, and various other support services are therefore. If you don't know how to do this or that chances are there is someone who can lend a helping hand.
Assuming all the right tools and libraries are installed setting up a game or anything else from source is actually pretty straight forward. Once a person does it a couple of times and correctly follow directions it will become second nature to them. A standard install from source might go like this. 1. Configure the build environment with "./configure" which sets up the build scripts for the Linux platform. 2. Type "make" which will run the automake tool to compile the source into a binary program. 3. Type " sudo make install" which will install the game or app to the proper directories on the system. That's in a nutshell a standard install from source. Yes, its pretty new to an average user from a Windows only background, but its not like a person has to do anything special or complicated. The entire process of building and installing software x is scripted and it is merely a matter of running the proper scripts and making sure they don't give errors. However, as I said it is very rare that a person has to resort to a source only install since Ubuntu, Debian, and a few others have huge software libraries of stuff already compiled, packaged, and ready for download/installation. I'm not sure how to say this, but while I do understand your point I can't help feel your worry isn't really justified. From where I stand being able to see both sides of the issue I think you are perhaps uncertain and afraid of the unknown, unsure of trying something new, and from what littleyou have read you are willing to say its too complex based on advanced installation directions. For example, let's think about math. Let's say you are in primary school, and just learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide when a new teacher walks in and starts trying to teach you some higher form of math like Calculous. While from your point of view you wouldn't want to do it because it would be too advanced, too hard, etc. Of course, you would be right. However, that is because you hadn't progressed to that level. You would have had to know general math, Algebra, Jeometry, Trig, etc to have the basic framework in place to try Calculous. Same thing applies here. Since you have no background knowledge of Linux, don't know how to do a standard install of apps, you took one look of a manual install from source and said, "Oops! That's too advanced for me." You are right, but keep in mind that's like jumping from general math to Calculous with nothing in between. The average Linux user doesn't do that, and nor do they necessarily have to do that because of the large software repositories. Even if your favorite game isn't available in an existing package for Linux x you can usually e-mail the maintainer or your distribution and ask them to make one available. HTH On 7/2/11, dark <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Tom. > > That does make more sense, and I do admit I didn't know about this > centralized distribution business for different lynux systems. It's just > that whenever I've seen a game (rocks and diamonds is just one example), > running under lynux, it has similarlr complex instructions, hence my > assumption. > > However, I stil would find myself a litle worried if using lynux, sinse it > seems from your description not only do you have to worry about whether a > given game or piece of software will run on your os, but also for someone > like me who's technical skills are average at best, even if there is a lynux > distribution I'd be utterly sunk if nobody had compiled it for whatever > brand of lynux I was using, sinse it's doubtful I could do this myself, and > I don't really like the idea of being at the mercy of whether something is > popular enough for someone to have compiled it yet, particularly when it > comes to new versions, sinse I'd probably need to wait for someone to > compile a new version of a piece of sofware I wanted for whatever lynux > distribution I used, rather than just being able to grab it myself. > > I'm sorry if this sounds negative, it's not intended to be, I'm just trying > to considder the system in terms of bennifits for a reasonably average user. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > [email protected]. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to [email protected]. > --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
