[ILUG] Re: Installing software on Linux (Specifically Fedora core 3)

[Gareth Eason]

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Joseph Kiniry wrote:
| Hi David,
|
[munch...]
|
|> I had thught that using a rpm file would have been able to do a comlete
|> configuration but clearly not
|
|
| The RPM does completely work.  It simply does not blindly assume you
| want to switch from your working, existing Java runtime you have
| installed unlike, say, a Microsoft app would do, e.g., Media Player or
| RealPlayer.

	You've decided you want to use Java, which is a Sun 'thing' - so other
ditros CANNOT legally make packages for easy distribution. If you're
finding it difficult to set up under Linux, please approach Sun
Microsystems and ask them to license Java (or at least the JDK) so that
it can be reasonably packaged in such a format that it can be
distributed and installed (and updated and removed) using standard
package management systems such as apt, dpkg, yum, up2date, etc.

[munch...]

	As Joseph pointed out, you are working in the 1% of cases where you
want something that unfortunately (due to legal constraints) cannot be
packaged as such in the native package formats for your system. If it
were you could just go:
	yum install jdk eclipse
and you would have a fully working, fully configured Fedora Core 3 box
with JDK and Eclipse running on it (yum handles dependancies automatically.)

	For what it's worth, I do absolutely agree with you regarding
difficulty of installing software on Linux, for the 1% (or realistically
15% maybe) of software that cannot be or is not packaged for the package
management tools of your chosen distro. The often lack of clear or up to
date documnetation for tools often aggravates the frustration felt... So
I do feel your pain :-) And people are continually working on it.
Software installation on Linux is a LOT better now than it was 5 years
ago - and in another 5 years I anticipate it will be even better still :-)

	Enjoy your use of Linux - and of course the ILUG list - the most
entertaining, pedantic, but sometimes useful mailing list in the world
(possibly) ;-)

	Best regards,
	-->Gar



	Best regards,
	-->Gar
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