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Petreley On Simplifying Software Installation for Linux

Posted by timothy on from the but-gentoo dept.

markcappel writes "RAM, bandwidth, and disk space are cheap while system administrator time is expensive. That's the basis for Nicholas Petreley's 3,250-word outline for making Linux software installation painless and cross-distro." The summary paragraph gives some hint as to why this isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

6 of 292 comments (clear)

  1. Word by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "That's the basis for Nicholas Petreley's 3,250-word outline for making Linux software installation painless and cross-distro."

    Was it necessary to include the word count? It's hard enough to get slashdotters to read a small article and post intelligently, this cant help...

  2. software reliability == complex install process??? by stonebeat.org · · Score: 1, Funny

    I have noticed that installation complexity is directly propotional to the reliability of the software.

    If a software is extremely complex to install, one can safely assume it is reliable :)

    If a software is easy to install, it is not reliable. for e.g. MS products.

    But seriously I dont think applications are complex to install, it is just that a learning curve is involved in doing anything.

    --


    Consensus is good, but informed dictatorship is better
  3. emerge maybe easy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    But installing gentoo is still hard.

    Insert cd.
    login in from the command line
    net-setup ethx
    cfdisk
    mkrieserfs
    wget ftp.gentoo-mirror.net/pub/gentoo/stage1.tar
    tar xzjdocmnaf stage1.tar
    mkdir /mnt/gentoo/
    chroot /mnt/gentoo
    scripts/bootstrap.sh
    (10 hours later)
    emerge ufed
    edit use flags
    emerge system
    emerge gentoo-sources
    configure kernel, having do lspci and googling obscure serial numbers to find out what modules to compile
    install kernel
    muck around with it's non standard bootloader
    install cron and sysloggers
    umount
    reboot
    spend two days sorting out the kernel panics
    wait all week for kde to emerge.
    processor dies of over work
    huge nasty electricty bill arrives after running emerge for over a week 24/7

    in other words, no

  4. Petreley should do it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    He's got time, motivation, money and computer. Sounds like the right guy for the job!

  5. I'm Glad It Isn't Easy by fire-eyes · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'm glad it isn't easy. I like a challenge, even if it takes longer, even at work.

    I'm glad it isn't brainless. I'm glad it's different across distros. Then I can pick and choose what I like.

    The less each distro is like any other, the happier I am.

    This is why I enjoy Linux.

    --
    -- Note: If you don't agree with me, don't bother replying. I won't read it.
  6. Re:No no no! by Ed+Avis · · Score: 2, Funny

    More than 120 Dutch guilders? Wow! It's a good job you didn't express the amount only in those obscure euros.

    --
    -- Ed Avis ed@membled.com