[Techtalk] "I need to use Windows because ..."

[Poppy]

On Sun, 2002-08-11 at 11:23, caitlynmaire at earthlink.net wrote:

> Just another dependency issue, I see.  Yeah, this takes some getting
> used to coming from Windows (or Mac, or OS/2).  Windows installers tend
> to give you everything you need in one neat package.  In theory, that's
> great, but in practice they install what they want where they want.  The
> net result is that the installer from program x can overwrite the
> library from program y (or from Windows itself) with a different
> version, and programs y, z, and a all break.  This is DLL hell.  
> 
> Linux programmers tend to package just what's unique to their programs
> and ask you to get the libraries.  The disadvantage is that you
> sometimes need to install 10 things to get your desired program to work.
>  Even worse, sometimes the dependent items have their own dependencies. 
> The good part of this (which far outweighs the disadvantages, IMHO) is
> that if installing program x will break y you are warned in advance. 
> Sometimes you'll have to upgrade y to make x work. Other times you can
> install two sets of libraries side by side.  In rare cases you have to
> make choices.  I personally think any of those three are better than
> breaking things on my system without telling me.

Given a choice between "DLL Hell" (which I never really dealt with
myself, but have seen and currently offer support for in limited
conditions) and being able to check and see, oh, i'm going to break Y if
I install X, I'll take the latter. I like the warning.

Would be nice, tho, see more static packages... Even if it means losing
some of the benefit of having libraries... I'd rather see static
packages that repeat stuff from a library than see 90% of the people
trying to install something give up on it because they can't find the
library... I don't know what I'd do without rpm and rpmfind for finding
the libraries I need.

Likewise.... this ability to keep two different versions of a library
side-by-side is extremely hard to understand for someone coming from
Windows... or Mac. Maybe this is something I should think about writing
up at some point when I get around to giving back to the community.
*grin*

--Poppy

-- 
Poppy,
Friend of the Penguin		-- sylph at cyber-dyne.com -- 
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