[Techtalk] Quirks of RH8 (was: Re: RH8--no gcc??)

[Glenda R. Snodgrass]

> workstation...etc.  The option that got me in trouble was the Personal
> Desktop.  If you ever, EVER, need to use any gnu compilers, DON'T install
> the Personal Desktop mode (or choose custom install, sugg. by Carla). 
> Installing Workstation mode did the trick.  Frankly I find that a bit
> strange...I suppose RH is assuming that most people who install in
> Personal Desktop are not into development and therefore are just going to
> use .rpms to install most programs.  
>
> Correct me if I'm wrong...but aren't there programs out there that is not
> available in .rpm form?  What would be the procedure for users to do if
> they needed GNU but can't just reformat (like I did) and start all over? 

I believe that "Personal Desktop" is targeted to non-techies, "ordinary
users"  who want to try Linux because it's cheap or because they hate
Microsoft, not because they are at all interested in what's new or kewl,
the power of Linux, hacking or rolling their own installs.  They want a
ready-to-go box that can do the things they do every day on the computer.  
Users in that category would never dream of compiling something on their
own, and most wouldn't even want to try it for the fun of it -- they don't
think it would be fun!!  Most of them will simply do without anything
that's not already there -- they probably won't "need" anything else
anyway.

An employee at a client's office surprised me Friday morning with a phone
call -- "My Win98 ate itself yesterday, so I formatted the hard drive and
put RH8.0 on one partition and I need some help getting it to see the
server."  I shouted with glee!  He had gone out and bought the boxed
distro and installed it all by himself!  [The client has a Linux server
and they of course hear us extoll the virtues of Linux all the time. <g>]
A few minutes later, before I even had a chance to call him back, he
figured out the network connection on his own and set up Evo for email and
sent me an email to tell me about it!  I was tickled pink.  And I credit
this largely to the really nice job RH has done with 8.0 in making it
truly easier for users to do on their own -- I'm pretty sure this guy
wouldn't have gotten RH6 or even RH7 that far on his own in just a few
hours.  RH8 may finally be the distro to put Linux on the desktop of
"ordinary users."

-- 
Glenda R. Snodgrass

Before you begin, consider ... The Net Effect
http://www.theneteffect.com
(251) 433-0196