On Thu, 12 Dec 2002, Sacha Chua wrote: > Dean Michael Berris <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > dont need fancy GUI frontends (or bloats) and dependency checks to get > > the job done. ;) > > I love dependency checks. ;) >
I love dependency checks. I love the fact that when i need to update a package, the system _can_ tell me what packages it depend on it and what it depends on. It doesn't make you say 'Duh' when asked the question, "Are you sure that version of galeon matches the mozilla you've installed'. I may choose to say, hey system, SCREW YOUR DEPENDENCIES and simply do a rpm -Uvh ---nodeps --force package-ver.i386.rpm Or i may choose to say , 'Oh really'... and do a 'urpmi' It's nice to know that if you need it, the information about dependencies AND A LOT MORE STUFF are there, like MD5SUMS, like a list of all files belonging to a package, like the date, time, and contact info of the packager of the RPM. Why? Because in the REAL WORLD, the bottom line is getting work done, not experiencing the "joy" and "ecstasy" of finding out how to remove or upgrade all files installed from a tar.gz tarball which was done by someone else 3 years ago, or finding out how one package depends on another and vice versa. The bottom line is being productive, like maybe bring up a service on not only one one box but on several linux boxes. That's the real world. And in the real world, i love dependency checks. They allow me to focus on what i have to do, not the nitty gritty of finding out for myself the dependencies or which files belong to what package. And yes, there has been talk about bloat. What bloat? How exactly do you define bloat? I define it as unecessary information or programs that impede or slow down my prductivity. Can RPM be considered bloat? Of course not. You can go your own merry way without even touching the damn thing (as most 'tarball' enthusiasts do today). And when I use the RPM or APT dependency checks do i slow down my productivity? I would think not, because dependency checks and 'auto-downloads' of dependent packages are tools created by people who precisely got tired of doing these things manually in the first place. So what is more productive, the manual method or the automated one? So if it's not the procedure and the applications, where else is the bloat? Is it in the several megabyte files in /var/lib/rpm? Cmon, you can't even get a hard disk smaller than 10GB these days. REAL package management is an advancement in Linux distribution technology, not a bloated feature nobody or very few will use. It has allowed Linux to be more maintainable, and provides a structure by which developers can create applications that fit in snugly into a system with the least possible hassle. If some may claim to not need it, that's their choice and later on, their problem. Its important that everyone else using linux should realize the value that package management gives to a distribution. 'Best practices' always should include selecting distributions with mature package management, with a very dynamic package development team. This makes the systems deployed using it up to date, more maintainable and much easier to administer. _ Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fully Searchable Archives With Friendly Web Interface at http://marc.free.net.ph To subscribe to the Linux Newbies' List: send "subscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
