On Mon, 26 Apr 1999, David Linville wrote:
> [...] Anyone who has ever
> tried getting all the packages required to install any major free Linux app
> would cry if they knew about the FreeBSD port system. One command and
> almost any app I have ever needed has downloaded and installed itself and
> ran perfectly with *minimal* configuration. [...]
What are you comparing this to? In RedHat, a standard way to install
something is to type 'rpm -Uvh ftp://whatever'. Alternatively, in Netscape,
I just click on the link, get prompted for the root password, enter it, and
it gets installed. Then I use it.
I believe that the debian approach is similair, and other distributions
probably have the same basic idea.
I'm not familiar with the FreeBSD port system, but if it is easier than this,
I would be most interested in learning more, and would appreciate a post on
that subject (even if it would make me cry). I guess one thing that rpm
doesn't do automatically is _get_ the other packages. For this reason, I've
recently found findrpm to be handy. You give it an rpm name, and it finds
it, and all that it depends on that you don't have installed, and asks you if
you want to get them to /tmp. A seperate command installs them, but that's
pretty minor--ability to install automatically could be added if anyone cares
enough.
Please let us know what about the coolness of the port system. If it's good,
perhaps a linux version will appear soon.
--
Todd Greer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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