On Wed, 23 Dec 1998, Petr Novotny wrote:
-| For me install means rpm -ivh qmail*rpm. That's one of a hell of a
-| difference. I don't recompile every single thing (hell, I could
-| even live without a gcc installed) I install - I just tend to trust
-| the PGP signatures, MD5 checksums and RedHat fixing holes ASAP.
I've been remaining quiet this whole time about this "qmail/djb vs.
redhat" situation, but this one really erked me.
SOMEONE has to write the program.
SOMEONE has to write the rpm.
SOMEONE has to do the work.
If we constantly rely on RPM's to do for us the fundamental things of
installing, and we get USED to that, we are going experience serious
problems in the future.
Most people dont even look at an RPM before they install it. They just
blindly rpm -i the package - that's almost as bad as running untrusted
binaries. So if all you are looking for is pure simplicity of running a
system and installing packages, i suggest you all use NT. Hell, i mean
that's why i switched over to different unix flavors. The control they
gave me. The source. The Makefile. Things i can change, things i can look
at. Things i can make sure arent malicious. RPM's are for the most part
very evil. I see their purpose for some things:
1. VERY simple packages
(which you shouldnt need an RPM form anywayz, since they are
simple)
2. VERY complex processes
(which you shouldnt use an RPM, since you are going to have to
know about the program before you can get any real work done with it. Or
otherwise we'll have open relays all over the place, because someone just
rpm -i'ed the package WITHOUT reading the docs or without spending any
time on the thing like they should or WOULD have to, installing it
PROPERLY.)
3. BEGINNERS that just want to get up and running AFAP
(which, shouldnt be installing mission critical software on an
open internet system that can potentially affect all of us.)
4. This has been proved OVER and OVER again. Redhat systems are not only
the most hacked systems (that would be obvious, since most distributions
sold are redhat) but they also have the "less educated" level of users.
I'd say roughly 90% of all systems hacked are redhat systems. They are
shipped vulnerable, and the user never knows enough to upgrade their
systems. They get hacked, their upstream pulls the plug, they
format/reinstall, and get hacked again, and never figure out what's going
on.
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