[AuckLUG] Installing Linux

[Martin Bähr]

On Wed, Apr 25, 2007 at 10:03:24PM +1200, Denise Bates wrote:
> >if you want the most out of your box, I would go for ubuntu or debian.
> >ubuntu has a very large repository from which you can choose applications
> >from, even the more esoteric ones like the ones I use for music production.
> >there is also a large user base for ubuntu that post thousands of howtos
> >like (beryl on feisty fawn) on ubuntuforums.
> What rubbish! linuxpackages has a huge repository of slackware-specific 
> applications.

excuse me.
how does a "huge repository of slackware-specific applications" make the
above rubbish?

linuxpackages lists 807 packages for 11.0
1263 for 10.2 and less for older versions.

apt-cache search . 
gives me more than 20000 results on the latest debian and ubuntu releases.

> dependency-related problems hardly ever arise.

i do have to agree here, the debian/ubuntu defaults take the dependency
checking a bit too far although they would not need to.

aparently, when building packages the default is to depend on the
versions of other packages that are currently installed even though
older versions might work just fine. 

that is what is causing those dependency problems. 
just recently i disected a package just to edit a dependency field
to make the package installable. and it runs just fine...

on the other hand if you run with the latest stable release almost any
package you might want, will be available for that release. 

the cases where i can't find a package are almost all cases of needing
the latest development version for no distribution would have a package
anyways.

greetings, martin.
-- 
cooperative communication with sTeam      -     caudium, pike, roxen and unix
offering: programming, training and administration   -  anywhere in the world
--
pike programmer   working in new zealand        open-steam.org|webhaven.co.nz
unix system-      bahai.or.at                        iaeste.(tuwien.ac|or).at
administrator     (caudium|gotpike).org                          is.schon.org
Martin Bähr       http://www.iaeste.or.at/~mbaehr/