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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 36:
Complaint Department:
</TITLE>
</HEAD><BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000"
LINK="#3366FF" VLINK="#A000A0">
<!-- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -->
<H4>"The Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
<P> <hr> <P>
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<center>
<H1><A NAME="answer">
<img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif" alt="(?)" border="0" align="middle">
<font color="#B03060">The Answer Guy</font>
<img src="../../gx/dennis/bbubble.gif" alt="(!)" border="0" align="middle">
</A></H1>
<BR>
<H4>By James T. Dennis,
<a href="mailto:answerguy@ssc.com">answerguy@ssc.com</a><BR>
Starshine Technical Services,
<A HREF="http://www.starshine.org/">http://www.starshine.org/</A>
</H4>
</center>
<p><hr><p>
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<!-- begin 67 -->
<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif" height="50" width="60"
alt="(?) " border="0">
Complaint Department:
</H3>
<p><strong>From T Elliot on Sun, 20 Dec 1998
</strong></p>
<!-- ::
Complaint Department:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: -->
<BLOCKQUOTE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Having worked with Unix (1983-1989) and (gasp) MS-DOS (from DOS
2.11) and Windows (from Win 3.0 to NT Server 4.0 - I once
installed the NT5 beta, but decided it was too risky) and
occasionally been tempted into trashing my spare PC to install
Linux, one of the biggest problems I find with Linux is the lack
of coherent tools and user interfaces.
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
If I install a package under Windows, I get a shortcut to the
program(s) via a menu or window (program group).
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
So don't use it.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Do the same under Linux and then I have to write down the main
program name or remember it (after examining the files to be
installed so I can figure out what the actual command is) - sure
it will probably be installed in the path, but I'm getting old and
the memory is failing.
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Yep. I know. Tough isn't it?
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
My spare PC is currently running RedHat 5.2 and this afternoon I
downloaded Code Crusader et al and therein lies the tale... NOT
ccrusader, NOT codecrusader or variations thereof, but "jcc" - no
additions to the "start menu" if using Fvwm2 or any other window
manager, in fact, no indication that the system had new software
except that the disk free space had decreased.
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
Until this type of thing is resolved, then Linux will only gain
the support of the lab-coats or the enthusiast.
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
... and professionally administered sites where a sysadmin
or delegate evaluates packages before installing them
--- figures out what is going where and deploys them
according to their needs.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
This is a rather boring message. I'm not the Linux
complaint department. You can send your suggestions
to <A HREF="http://www.redhat.com/">Red Hat</A> Inc.,
<A HREF="http://www.suse.com/">S.u.S.E.</A>,
<A HREF="http://www.caldera.com/">Caldera</A>, and many others.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Incidentally, S.u.S.E. does have some scripts that
maintain your system default window manager menus
when you install new packages.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
As for the implied suggestion --- I know that some
people at Red Hat are working on something like this.
However, since there is no central authority over Linux
development and there are no "code and interface police"
to enforce <EM>your</EM> notion of "how things should be done"
--- there are practical limits to what can be
accomplished.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
For those that care, the usual technique I use when
installing RPM's is to list and/or browse the contents of
the package before I install it. You can list them with
a command like:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
rpm -qpl <package.file.name>
</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
... and you can narrow that do just the docs using:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><BLOCKQUOTE><CODE>
rpm -qpd <package.file.name>
</CODE></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
You can browse through an RPM file interactive using
Midnight Commander ('<tt>mc</tt>'). Just highlight the file
using mc's "Norton Commander inspired" interface and
hit [Enter]. This will traverse down into the RPM file
as though it were a directory tree --- and you can browse
through and view the file contents to your heart's content.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
When you use <tt>mc</tt>'s [F3] key to view a file, it can interpret
several types of files. Thus you can view the man pages
from inside of an RPM file without installing anything.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Since many of the most useful programs available under
Linux and other forms of Unix are designed as filters,
or intended to be run as services (possibly as dynamically
launched '<tt>inetd</tt>' based daemons) or cron jobs --- or are
otherwise non-interactive --- it often doesn't make sense
to add menu options for them.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
However, I've suggestion to Red Hat and S.u.S.E that
RPM maintainers and builders be encouraged to add entries
for programs that constitute "user interfaces" (for
character mode and/or X Windows --- and for any other
interfaces that might arise in the future --- such as
Berlin). One of Red Hat's senior people disagreed with
the whole notion, though that may be more a deficiency
in my presentation than anything.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
PS. My main PC runs NT server 4.0 sp4 with sql server, iis, etc,
etc. I use it for software development using DevStudio (c++) and
even though I have to reboot the &^^% thing every time I touch
something in its config, I'd rather that than guessing at what
I've installed and what the comand line is.
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Great. More power to you. So, do a Yahoo! search to
see if you can find the "complaintguy" somewhere. Let
me know if you find him (or her) and I'll bounce mail
like this to the appropriate venue.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
The problem here is that you seem to have confused me
with some Linux advocate. I use Linux and I prefer it
to other systems that I've used (although
<A HREF="http://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</A> is
a very close second).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
I've espoused the opinion, on several occasions in
this column, that the selection of any tools (software
or otherwise) should be done through a process of
requirements analysis. Some requirements can be
met with a number of solutions. So, after we've
found a basic list of possible solutions that meet
the requirements we can narrow down that list
by measuring them against our constraints and make
final selections (if choices still remain) based
on preferences.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
The time is rapidly approaching when you can run a
complete <A HREF="http://www.kde.org/">KDE</A> or
<A HREF="http://www.gnome.org/">GNOME</A> system
and never see a command
line. Developers of KDE, GNOME, and eventually GNUStep
applications will be free to integrate their interfaces
in the ways that are appropriate to each of those systems.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
The KDE developers have already shown an amazing
predilection for generating KDE interfaces to existing
programs. Once nice thing about Linux and Unix is that
it's relatively easy to design an application in a
client/server model --- and to provide multiple front
ends (clients) which each provide unique forms of
access to the same application functions. This is
just good programming design.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Another nice thing is that we can concurrently run
programs from many GUI's under the same desktop. Thus
I can run a GNOME application under KDE and vice versa.
Indeed using VNC and XNest I can run whole X sessions
within a window under one of my X sessions.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Of course, people who just stick with the front ends
will be constrained from access many of those powerful
filters and tools that I described earlier. It's unlikely
that front ends will be built for <EM>all</EM> of them.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
However, most people only use a few applications, anyway.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
PPS. The main gripe is - USER TOOLS and EASE OF CONFIGURATION.
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
So find someone to gripe to. I'm here to <EM>answer</EM>
<EM>questions</EM>.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
(P.S. the various "advocacy" newsgroups are perfect for
this sort of message).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<!-- sig -->
<!-- end 67 -->
<hr width="40%" align"center">
<!-- begin 70 -->
<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif" height="50" width="60"
alt="(?) " border="0">
More on "Complaint Department"
</H3>
<p><strong>From T Elliot on Fri, 25 Dec 1998
</strong></p>
<!-- ::
More on "Complaint Department"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: -->
<P><STRONG><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/qbub.gif" ALT="(?)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I appreciate that I
have probably wasted your time, but you have answered most of my
questions (including to whom to gripe).
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" alt="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
If I was worried about "wasting my time" I wouldn't
have signed up for this.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
However, one of the few rights I reserve for myself in this
column is the right to be a curmudgeon.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<!-- sig -->
<!-- end 70 -->
<!--startcut ======================================================= -->
<P> <hr> <P>
<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/ssc.copying.html"
>Copyright ©</a> 1999, James T. Dennis
<BR>Published in <I>The Linux Gazette</I> Issue 36 January 1999</H5>
<P> <hr> <P>
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