Re: GNOME upgrade

[sungod <sungod atdot org>]

Timothy Murphy (tim@maths.tcd.ie)'s email of 08/02/99 22:57 said:

>On Mon, Aug 02, 1999 at 03:54:11PM -0400, sungod wrote:
>
>> >Shouldn't some sort of README file come with GNOME upgrades?
>> 
>> They do.
>
>I just looked again at the announcement I received of the latest GNOME 
>upgrade,
>and there was no mention of a README, or indeed of any documentation,
>simply a list of RPM files.

They're INSIDE the RPM packages.

>> >It's pretty confusing to a GNOME newbie like me
>> >to just be given a list of 17 (or whatever) RPM files.
>> 
>> If you don't like RPMs, don't use them. If you are merely confused 
>> because you don't know how RPM works, try typing "man rpm". 
>
>I said I was a GNOME newbie, not a Linux or RedHat newbie.
>I know perfectly well how RPMs work.
>What I don't know is which of the many RPMs mentioned is required,
>and which are secondary,
>which order they should be installed in (if that matters),
>and whether they require any other RPMs or libraries
>apart from those mentioned.
>(When installing GNOME originally,
>I found that the order of installation,
>although unspecified, did indeed matter;
>and several other RPMs were required,
>although never mentioned.)

This is why I assumed that you didn't understand how RPM's worked: all of 
your questions would have been answered if you had actually USED the RPM 
program.

There are arguments to RPM to find out what each package contains, what 
additional libraries and packages are required for the installation of 
each one, and as long as all the dependencies are filled, it doesn't even 
matter which order you specify the installation: RPM will install them in 
the order needed if you simply install all the ones you want first.

All of the above information is available in the RPM manpage, which is 
why I suggested you read it. No offense was intended.

>> I think RPM even puts them in 
>> /usr/doc/<packagename> IIRC.
>
>If you took the trouble to look at the /usr/doc/g*/README files,

My linux boxes are on a moving van somewhere in Kansas. I'm about as far 
from Kansas as it's possible to be while still on the same continent. 
Aren't you glad I got pretty close, from memory? :)

>you would see that they are completely useless.
>In any case, I was speaking of a README for the upgrade bundle,
>not the individual RPMs.

You didn't specify, and I still don't see what information you are 
looking for that is not available within the RPM's themselves.

>> >Am I alone in feeling that GNOME developers
>> >are somewhat lacking in common sense?
>> 
>> Probably, seeing as you don't appear to have a handle on how package 
>> management works yet. 
>
>Even if I didn't understand how RPMs work -- and I do --
>I cannot see what possible relevance this would have
>to the common sense of the GNOME developpers.

As I've already said, I didn't intend any offense, but if you took 
offense anyway... well, good. I merely gave an (admittedly abrupt) answer 
to someone who asked an ill-phrased and ill-informed question without 
having used the resources at his disposal to get information; on the 
other hand, you outright insulted the very people who designed and 
developed the project, in addition to GIVING you the resources from which 
to get the very information you sought.

Consequently, until you request more specific information (and stop 
degrading the sensibilites of the likes of Miguel, Havoc, Federico, 
Elliot, and dozens others) my answer will have to remain the same: all 
that you seek is available within the package manager you have chosen to 
use. If you don't know how to use your chosen package manager to extract 
that information, you can teach yourself by reading the documentation for 
your package manager.

If you're unsure how to accomplish even THAT step, I'll tell you: at the 
BASH prompt, type the following:

    man rpm

>From there, you will learn how to use the query tools and 
dependency-checking features to get just the information you requested.

Good luck, and if I wasn't less offensive this time... <shrug> I'm still 
not sorry. :) All followups to my personal email address please; this no 
longer really pertains to GNOME.

-- 
"True riches only increase." -R. Buckminster Fuller
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sungod@atdot.org              http://blackness.org/