Actually I wasn't confused, I just sent a confusing message - I had OOo in brackets as an example of one of the few packages available on the Gentoo mirrors in binary form.
Your reply gives even more clarity - thanks Nick. Still having trouble with this experimental box and the live cd. Passing various boot options give various results:- smp - boots up OK with 2.6 kernel but no /dev/sdx (modprobe ncr53c8xx - gives module not found) smp doscsi - locks up at hotplugging smp doscsi noapic - lots of other stuff missing gentoo - boots up OK with 2.4 kernel but no /dev/sdx Finally gentoo doscsi - booted up with 2.4 kernel and /dev/sdx but without eth0 modprobe ncr53c8xx worked with these options. Regards, Robert Some days you are the pigeon, some days you are the statue. -----Original Message----- From: Nick Rout [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, 29 April 2004 12:12 p.m. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: HEADS UP for participants: Gentoo Installfest On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 11:31:34 +1200 "Fisher, Robert (FXNZ CHC)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I thought that would be the case as there are not many (Ooo) binary packages > in portage. You are confusing two things. OOo has two different ebuilds, one called openoffice-bin and one called openoffice. If you install openoffice-bin, then when you update it via emerge you will get an updated binary. The other openoffice is a regular ebuild, ie it downloads and compiles the source, in the way you are familiar with. However at release times the kind folks at gentoo compile a Reference Platform for selected packages for each architecture and sub-architecture (x86 = architecture, athlon-xp, i686 etc= sub architecture). You can install a precompiled binary of an ordinary ebuild (ie an ebuild that you would normally compile yourself) by passing the --usepkg or -k option to emerge. It will then look in /usr/portage/packages for a .tbz2 file (ie the package files tarred and compressed with bzip2). There is also provision to point the machine at a server to get precompiled binaries from, ie over the network. Here is a list of the reference platform packages in 2004.1: ftp://ftp2.jetstreamgames.co.nz/gentoo/releases/x86/2004.1/packagecd/CONTENT S However when you update that package you are going to get the source and compile it as usual UNLESS you have a new binary package available in /usr/portage/packages [2] AND you specify --usepkg in emerge. You can also build binary packages when when you do your normal compiling by passing emerge the --buildpkg (-b) switch. Handy if you have a number of machines, but of course they will be compiled with the USE flags and sub-architecture options specified on the compiling machine, so if like me you have one p3 and one athlon, this is not that useful. In summary then openoffice-bin and its ilk are always installed from someone elses precompiled binary [1]. Normal ebuilds are compiled, unless someone (you or the GRP people) happen to have built one before, and you specify --usepkg. Clear as mud? [1] commercial and closed source packages like vmware or real player are also binary only as they are not open-source. [2] or the network location you have specified for binary packages > > I have downloaded and burnt a live cd for x86 but it does not seem to see > the scsi drives on this box I am experimenting with. > > Regards, Robert > Some days you are the pigeon, some days you are the statue. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Nick Rout [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Thursday, 29 April 2004 11:06 a.m. > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: HEADS UP for participants: Gentoo Installfest > > no when you update them they will compile from source, its just a quick > way to get a system up and running. > > I for one don't want to be in your garage doing the computer equivalent > of watching paint dry all day :-) > > > On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 09:51:39 +1200 > "Fisher, Robert (FXNZ CHC)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > I have asked this before but got no answer:- > > > > If binary packages are installed from the packages CD, are they > subsequently > > updated and compiled from source later, or are they always binaries from > > then on? > > > > (I suppose I could ask on the forum) > > > > Regards, Robert > > Some days you are the pigeon, some days you are the statue. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Nick Rout [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Thursday, 29 April 2004 9:46 a.m. > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: HEADS UP for participants: Gentoo Installfest > > > > OK just doing a poll of what architectures we need to download binaries > > for. The available architectures are: > > > > x86 (generic) > > i686 > > p3 Don G > > p4 Rik T, Roger S > > athlon-xp Luuk, Chris D > > > > Nick E's celeron 1400 might be p3 or it might be p4 from what I can > > quickly find (Nick post your /proc/cpuinfo please). > > > > Could those participants please check that this seems right and post > > back. Seems that fortunately we may be able to get away with downloading > > 3 of 5 architectures. > > > > Paul Swafford of e-caf has done some downloading already, and may be > > able to do some more. Thats why I'd like to be able to finalise > > architectures asap. > > > > A public thanks for that Paul. > > > > > > > > On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 22:22:45 +1200 > > Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > I see that gentoo 2004.1 was released bang on time today, but the > mirrors, > > > > > both official and unofficial, are still catching up. I think I will wait > a > > > > > day or so and then might assign downloads to those who can/will do them. > > > > Theres quite a lot to download, but we have over two weeks. > > > > -- > > Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > -- > Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -- Nick Rout <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
