On Thursday 17 August 2006 08:21, larrystotler@netscape.net wrote:
I've commented about this problem to others, but I would like to hear your thought on it. Why is it neccesssary to have a different RPM of every program for each linux distro as well as each version? It seems like a huge waste of resources to do it this way. On the Windows side, a program will install on most any version of windows or at least on W2k and XP.
Windows only runs on a limited number of hardware architectures; i386-i686, x86_64, ARM, etc. Linux runs on dozens. Windows used to support MIPS and Alpha and PPC but MS dropped those because they were not selling millions of copies of each chip architecture. Those chips weren't minting them any money...
I've tried downloading and installing RPMs for other distros under SuSE, and sometimes it works, but more often than not it doesn't.
LSB and FHS. SUSE is actually moving GNOME 2.16 and KDE 4.x out of /opt and into /usr to more fully comply with LSB and FHS. That will help. Other distros will package things different or place files where ever they want. OSS is about choice. For better or worse!
I've gotten to the point that I just either install it from source or not update. Case in point, my desktop here as v9.2 on it. I had to hunt down an RPM for Firefox for it and install it. I had v1.5.0.3 on here. Then last night, I got a security update to v1.5.0.6 installed by YOU. I don't even know what it did. It definately should not have taken that long to get those updates......
How long should it have taken?
Also, I am still trying to get the "Old World" mac support returned. Do you have any older Macs or know anything about the problems involved? I've offered to help test, but I'm not a programmer, so I can't just go in and fix something.
I'd like it if the New World Macs were supported closer to the same time frame as i586 and x86_64. The Old World Macs had spotty support back when SUSE still put out a PPC version with the i386 releases. IIRC Apple wouldn't/won't release any info on the BIOS/firmware to get everything running properly. Lots of dead-ends for video, NUBus, etc. Some distros had a relationship with Apple or somehow got the info but due to licensing couldn't share it.?.? Good old proprietary software.
Anyway, I was just wondering what your thoughts were on the matter. Thanx
Use a known working distro if you want those Old World Macs running Linux. Stan