[NTLUG:Discuss] Mandrake questions

[Kyle_Davenport@compusa.com]

RPM is quite sophisticated enough to handle these issues.  For example, they
ought to at least be built relocatable.  If they install to an unusual library
(outside /lib and /usr/lib) they could, with a post-install script, check that
that library path is in /etc/ld.so.conf.   They should not be making assumptions
about the location and format of system configuration files, like
/etc/rc.d/init.d in RH.

If you use an RPM built for a different distribution, you are guaranteed
nothing.  I don't consider this a failure or inadequecy of the distributions,
but rather that newbies have to stick within their distribution.  You will have
to check what it will install (rpm -qivlp *.rpm) and what scripts it will run to
do the install (rpm -qp *.rpm --scripts).  The usual problem I have is that the
binary rpm depends on different library versions, so I download the src.rpm and
rebuild it.

____________________________________________________




Steve Baker <sjbaker1 at airmail.net> on 08/18/2000 01:17:28 PM

Please respond to discuss at ntlug.org

To:   discuss at ntlug.org
cc:    (bcc: Kyle Davenport/Is/Corporate/CompUSA)
Subject:  Re: [NTLUG:Discuss] Mandrake questions



Kevin Brannen wrote:
>
> "./aal" wrote:
> >
> > Kevin Brannen wrote:
> > >
> > > If you look at SuSE 6.x, you'll find that it is RPM based; or at least
there
> > > are RPMs all over my CDs. :-)  That doesn't touch the Pentium based build
> > > issue, or probably other Mandrake issues, obviously.
> > >
> >
> > SuSE uses rpms  ...but only suse rpms
>
> Maybe you can explain that to me.  I thought an RPM was an RPM.  Now, as for
> installation of binary packages, SuSE's may install to different places than
> say RH's or Mandrake's or anyone else's, but that's a configuration thing.
> I've installed RPMs from other sources than SuSE and have had no problems
> (e.g. Metorlink's Motif packages).

I'm not sure of the technicalities - but someone contributed a Mandrake-specific
RPM of one of my OpenSourced projects - and I blindly put it up on my web
site.  I've since had several emails from people who installed that on
NON-MANDRAKE systems and subsequently had no end of peculiar problems.

I deduce that you can't blindly move RPM's from one distro to another - although
why that should be rather escapes me.

> > A friend if mine is running SuSE and has almost given up on linux as
> > a result of SuSE's "uniqueness". SuSE has a very different approach
> > to most every function and service. Which makes almost every HOWTO
> > and any other general audience help doc confusing in the extreme.

I use SuSE - and I have not found that to be the case.

> > SuSE IS a great distro
> > just NOT for newbies

The handful of newbies that I've passed on older copies of SuSE to have
not reported any problems back to me - but YMMV.

> They admin tool YAST is different, but quite useable (but I'm avoiding your
> point as I didn't start using SuSE until I'd been using Linux for several
> years).  And yes, they do store _some_ files in different places than RH.

That is a major hassle - but SuSE are not the only ones with that problem.
As a package maintainer, I find it a REAL PAIN IN THE ASS that no two
distro's can agree on where my package should be installed.  So far, it
can be found in:

   /usr/local/lib/plib
   /usr/local/plib/lib
   /usr/lib
   /usr/X11R6/lib/plib
   /usr/X11R6/lib
   /usr/share/plib/lib
   /usr/opt/plib/lib

...that's SEVEN different places on seven different distro's...and that's
despite me stating VERY clearly in all my documentation that there is only
one place where I *require* distributors to place it. (/usr/lib as it happens)

(snip)