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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Installing software onto a linux box (was Redhat 7.1 and KDE2.2 are go!)
From:       S A Jarrett-Sprague <sjarrettsprague () waitrose ! com>
Date:       2001-08-21 20:29:29
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Wow!

When I posted my success on getting KDE2.2 onto a computer running Redhat 7.1 
I didn't mean it to be a usability issue. But as it has sparked a long thread 
I will add my observations about putting software onto a linux box from a MS 
Windows NT user's perspective.

1. Putting software onto a linux box is not fundamentally difficult.
Asking people to ./configure, make, make install is not beyond the average 
user (I should know I am not a linux guru). If all goes well, the software 
install goes ok (deinstallation now that is another issue!). What is required 
is detailed instructions and testing from the programmer. The problems with 
this means of software installation in my experience are.

- problems at the ./configure stage resulting in one having to find other 
tar.gz files of the 'net.
- poor make files ( a programmer issue).
- problems understanding  post install e.g 'ldconfig', PATH issues. 
In my experience after a while I just give up if it it is becoming a drag. I 
have tried to update GNOME 1.2 to 1.4 from scratch and 75% through the 
process hit the brick wall and made my whole computer unusable. I have tried 
to install KDE 2.1.1 from source and found no problems. Maybe that is why 
most people use XIMIAN GNOME? 

2. Using rpm as a means of putting software onto a system (or taking it off) 
again not particularly taxing. The problem is usually when putting one 
package onto a system which conflicts with another, e.g. putting one kde2.2 
package onto my system conflicted with a ximian-evolution rpm, so I had to do 
a --force I think. What damage this has done I don't know. At least rpm tells 
you there is a problem, with windows you just get dll conflicts and 
instability.

3. Personally I like Netscape/Mozilla's approach to upgrading/installing 
software. If it wasn't so easy to install over the net I wouldn't have 
updated Mozilla from 0.9.1 via 0.9.2 to 0.9.3. Their approach tempts me to 
try their software and keeps me coming back, and reporting bugs. I personally 
don't like Openoffice's approach, as I am asked to download 50Mb of stuff and 
do alot of hard work. So I will have to wait for StarOffice 6.0 to be on a 
disk and use their excellent software.

4. Personally I like Ximian Redcarpet. I could see big companies buying into 
a piece of software like this. At work we have 9000 people with access to a 
company intranet and we run Microsoft Windows NT. We have a piece of software 
a bit like Redcarpet, which lists all the software we can run on the 
corporate machines. You want 'MS Office 97' and 'Sophos' on your machine? You 
click on their names and hey presto its on your machine. You want the latest 
sophos patch (nearly a daily event)? You click on the 'redcarpet' update list 
select 'sophos' and off you go.

Well those are my observations from user land!
-- 
Regards
Stephen
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