[Discuss] Firefox with RedHat Fedora

[pw]

Gordon wrote:
> I think somebody more geeky than I (not difficult!) has glommed onto 
> what, for me, is the most difficult aspect of Linux. Try as I did, I 
> could not get a TAR file unglued, or a RPM one slowed down <g> to 
> install. I couldn't agree more, considering the ease one has in good ol' 
> Windoze to install programs. Surely someone could port one of the more 
> popular unpack/install programs from XP to Linux. . .
> 
> old railfans never die; they just lose track!
> Gordon
> 
> 

There are some cross platform installers that work
just like 'Install Shield' on linux. The problem is
that linux software is not 'marketed'. Usually the
software is packaged in a programmed bundle with
autoconf (ie:./configure, make, make install).

There is also a fixation with package managers in linux,
mostly because people think it needs to be as much
like Unix as possible. It really doesn't...

Then again, even MS windows now has a package manager
of sorts, *Add Remove Programs* in the control panel.

The best installers I've seen for linux have been for
Netbeans IDE, and a few varied other applications where
the developers were really *thinking* about the end user.

I have yet to see a really good UNinstaller other than some of the
package managers.

Never let coders design front ends for applications
or installers unless they can understand the level of torture
that will be suffered while using (and UN-using) it.

Another problem with linux installers is that
there are different philosphies surrounding where stuff
will get installed under /usr. I believe Redhat was trying
to get everyone onboard to standardize where RPMs install stuff.
Various distros can install things in different places.

There is also a problem of library versioning on linus. When
'fresher' libraries are installed they usually redirect a softlink
to the new file, thus breaking all the other  software that uses the
old library.

It is possible to  make applications that are able to find libraries
and test for versions.


p