[ILUG] Linux Frustration

[Dermot Beirne]

Hi All,
I've been trying to peddle Linux as a potential alternative to the way we
do things here at work, and am looking for money to do some research, buy a
decent PC, a distro, etc to experiment with.

Now, I already have a PC with Red Hat 6.1 running on it, and we have been
experiencing some network response problems lately and I thought I'd use
Linux as a network monitor station, running Etherape I got from Linux
Format mag.  (Yes, I know about N-top, netsaint, etc, etc, but I decided to
try this)

This is where my experience of Linux gets frustrating.  The Etherape
program is tiny, but it's dependencies are a different issue.  Etherape
would not install as it needs libpcap, which I downloaded and attempted to
install.  That would not work because it needed libptool.  I got that and
attempted to install.  That would not work because it needed libxml, or
vice versa, I can't remember.

This is very frustrating for someone who is trying to use linux
productively, and more so for someone who is trying to get it accepted in
an organisation who are dubious.

This may be a specific example, but I don't find it terribly unusual with
linux, and was wondering what others thought.

After downloading libxml, and following install instructions, the file the
instructions say to edit, does not exist.  As a result, my efforts to get
Etherape installed, ends here (because of my limited experience more than
anything else)

 From past experience, when installing Mandrake 8.0, it's similar.  If you
choose to install packages individually, you are presented with a massive
list of largely incomprehensible file names, with equally vague
descriptions, leaving all but the very experienced wondering if something,
somewhere needs this file to run, and therefore should I "tick" it.

When installing Linux, should you just have heaps of disk space and choose
to install everything (just in case) or am I totally off the mark, and is
there a much easier way.  I am sure that as I gather more knowledge in
Linux (I won't be put off by this!), that I'll learn what to do at times
like this, but surely this is a big turn off for other potential linux
users.

I don't want to get attacked by people who seek to "defend" linux, or
anyone picking errors in my example above, its a general question that i'd
just like a straightforward plain english answer to please.

Thanks in advance,

Dermot.

PS - Yes I know Red Hat 6.1 is now "old", etc. but I don't have the time
now to start setting up a 7.1 machine.




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