[ILUG] Galeon and gnome

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Waider (waider at dspsrv.com):

> Clinging stubbornly to RPM as I do, I can tell you:
> 
> rpm --redhatrequires / --redhatprovides give you dependencies in both
> directions for any given package that RedHat supplies. rpm --whatrequires /
> --whatprovides does the same for packages installed on your system. The
> former requires the installation of the dependencies packages, but that's
> all. RedHat's updating tool, up2date, will work out dependencies for you
> when you ask it to install a new package.

Again, that's nice, but not relevant to what I was saying about the need
for an accurate _dependencies list_ on the package's information site.

When I'm looking at a developer's Web site for a piece of *ix software,
I expect to see a _list of what ancillary software will be required_.
Simple.  Period.

I don't expect to see "Get the foo-omnibus-1.3.4.arch.rpm file" (though 
having that present isn't a problem -- I can always ignore it).  I
expect to see "requires libs a, b, and c".

Then, for whatever Foonix OS I choose to run, I can seek out whatever
libbloat.pkg files are locally necessary, or just compile a, b, and c, 
or whatever method of satisfying the dependencies complies with system
policies and the whims of the sysadmin.

My (other) point was that pages for GNOME software seem
characteristically to omit genuine dependency information, apparently 
because they want everyone to install the whole kitchen sink.  It's 
a trait that can be overcome by examining the tarballs, but is
consistently annoying.

-- 
Cheers,               "That article and its poster have been cancelled." 
Rick Moen                   -- David B. O'Donnel, sysadmin for America Online
rick at linuxmafia.com