-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [discuss] Are we freeing MS Windows?
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 12:46:53 +0100
From: "Bernhard R. Link" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]



* Ken Foskey  [011203 12:33]:
> >apt-get install mutt
> >
> Redcarpet is pretty good replacement for apt-get,  there are some flaws 
> with rpm packaging however.  They are not as tightly controlled as debian.

I just wanted to say to this off-topic-tread: apt-get is normaly only
meant as dubuging and low-level tool. It won't handle suggests and
recoomends right, though those who used .rpm will perhaps never 
know what they miss. The "normal" way is using some frontend, be
it the crytic dselect, the colorful aptitude, the gnomish gnome-apt
or the stormix-pakage manager. There is really a laerge multitude
of frontends. And everyone may choose, whatever he likes.

> 
> >Now for something more on-topic. There's no Debian package for 
> >OpenOffice (yet.)
> >
> 

First to say: There are some experimental packages. They can be found
at
http://people.debian.org/~nidd/debian/unstable/openoffice_0.638c.orig.tar.gz

Not that they are more a .deb out of Openoffice and not that debianized.

> There is a separate debian OpenOffice list,  very quiet.   Someone 
> submitted some patches to start 'debianisation' recently.  The current 
> libraries are tightly bound into the application,   careful teasing 
> loose of the parts is required.    If this really concerns you then 
> please feel free to volunteer.

Openoffice.org is generally a very large beast. And Debian packages should
not only be an distribution of that software, they are also meant to
make the software fullfit the standards of debian.
And as philosophy of debian and OOo are quite different. Two only call
two apsects: Debian is more admin-orientated and sees the whole
distribution as one OS.
The first means, that an Debian-package must not have the network
install/local install-choice or the need for an user to run an setup,
after installing the packages, an user should only have to click into
the menu, and Openoffice should start without asking him (the user)
anything, the admin could have answered before.
The second will need large rewritings in the way OOo handles config-data
and libraries. Whatever is config belongs to /etc in Debian, as it is
system-config (There are no subsystems within installes packages, 
subsystems are for foreign things, that are installes manually).
And the final OOo Debian Packages should have not different or even
patched libraries, but use those that reside in the system.


These requirements for good Debian packages are quite diamtral to the
way OOo is structured. OOo's goal is an stable system, that fits within
any System without much troubles. And Debianized OOo has to fit within 
Debian without strangenesses introduced to cope with other systems of
philosophies.


Hochachtungsvoll,
        Bernhard R. Link
-- 
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve 
nor will he ever receive either. (Benjamin Franklin)

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