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

[David Merrill]

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On Sunday 11 August 2002 01:23 pm, caitlynmaire at earthlink.net wrote:
> 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.

And the advantage is that rather than having each software package install 
its *own* version of winsock.dll, there is a single library responsible 
for each bit of functionality. This leads to consistency and reliability, 
and it also creates a very debuggable system.

I'll take the rare dependency conflict in Debian over the old Windows DLL 
Hell *any* *day*.

- -- 
David C. Merrill                         http://www.lupercalia.net
Linux Documentation Project                   david at lupercalia.net
Lead Developer                                 http://www.tldp.org

To the cross roads I must go
To find a world unseen
Fear and wonder will I know,
And be a bridge between
		-- To the Crossroads, Starhawk
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