Maybe someone can reassure me about compiling. Seems that the details of
anything but the simplest compilation are controlled by a make file
(makefile?). However, I get the feeling that one needs to be a
fairly-experienced programmer to be sure that the contents of a makefile
are correct, so in my case, I feel I'm trusting to luck and the
competence of the creator of the makefile. In practice, I probably have
little to worry about.
Another worry is about command-line switches. While I can use the more
commonplace switches OK for things like ls, rm, head, tail, etc.,
compiler switches seem scary; maybe they need not be.
What I feel (and I'm probably quite wrong) is that if I were to try to
compile a kernel, for instance, some detail (such as a wrong switch
setting) would prevent success. Maybe the combination of an error log,
properly reported, ditto a description/list of the important params.,
and generous people on this List should be likely to solve things.
It's also likely that a well-written HOWTO contains carefully-written
instructions on specific switch and other option settings, etc.
Basically, still trying to get over the feeling that compiling is
something done successfully only by experienced programmers.
Fortunately, there's no hurry!
|* Nicholas Bodley *|* Electronic Technician {*} Autodidact & Polymath
|* Waltham, Mass. *|* -----------------------------------------------
|* [EMAIL PROTECTED] *|* The personal computer industry will have become
|* Amateur musician *|* mature when crashes become unacceptable.
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