Re: [aclug-L] Flame bait... (distribution question)

["Greg House" <ghouse@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

From: Timothy Wasson <wassontj@xxxxxxxxxx>

>I started with a copy of RH 5.1 from the "Linux Unleashed" book.
>Stumbled through an install.  After 2 hours on the phone with a buddy,
>got my modem working, X working, and even the mouse working.  But I
>didn't really understand much at all.  I had no idea where to find files
>and what the configuration really was.


That's kind of my complaint with the "easy to install" distributions.  To
me, they're really not that much easier.  You still need to know what you're
doing, you just need to know different things.

>Bottom line:  Excellent book.  Matches the install process exactly.
>Installation proceeded smoothly.  The book covers configuration issues
>in detail.  It lists every single package that Slackware would try to
>install, and described them.

To Red Hat's credit in this regard, I saw an official retail package for the
first time today.  The manual it includes has detailed step-by-step
installation instructions and gives detailed information about all the
packages included on the distribution.  Trying to do it without a manual
makes the experience somewhat less informative.

>Yes, I had to edit files by hand with vi.
>But the book steps through everything, and now I understand alot more
>about my system than I ever did under RH.  Tarballs are easy.  Make
>works fine.  Modem fired right up.

Yeah, I have a Slackware system too.  All the readme files were where I
could find 'em, intuitive, and pretty easy to follow.  SuSE was exactly the
opposite.  I couldn't figure _anything_ out on that one...and to add insult
to it's lack of intuitiveness, all the readme files were in German.  I guess
it's popular in Europe.

>There are some things I miss a little, like the graphical print config
>tool, and the little disk mounter/umounter that runs under X.  But I
>know my system now.


Check the app index on freshmeat.net.  There are a lot of those tools like
that out there out there to download. (like removable media mounters, etc).

Greg

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