[SATLUG] Guest account for Linux??

[Mark McCoy]

On 3/23/06, Emon <contact_emon at gawab.com> wrote:
> I am in a bit of a confusion here..... the fact that Slackware doesn't
> check for dependencies or let's you install something even if
> dependencies are not resolved; is usually pointed as a plus point by
> most Slackware users.
>
> My question as a *newbie* is, how is that helpful?? I mean you
> ultimately have to resolve the dependencies if you want use the
> application.... right?? or am I missing something here??
>
> Thanks
> Emon

I think this discussion always boils down to the "KISS" principle. 
The problem is that simple can be defined from many perspectives:

To a user who likes a package managed distro (RH, Deb, Ubuntu), simple
is defined by typing "<packagemanager> install foobar" (or using a GUI
that does the same thing).  Let apt-get, yum, or pacman do all the
work for you resolving deps and getting everything ready to use,
including setting up sane defaults for the package that fit in with
the way the distro does things.

The same goes with initial system installation, which is where most
"newbies" (and even a lot of experienced sysadmins)  want everything
to "just work".  Put the CD in, select the type of system that your
want (desktop/server), maybe add a few packages to the list, click
"go", wait a while and reboot.  Newbies don't usually have the time
and patience to sit through learning how to edit the X config file by
hand, etc, and the sysadmin doesn't want to hand edit a million config
files and resolve deps himself if he doesn't have to (especially if
he's installing a dozen machines at once).

To a Slack lover, simple means "keep the package the way the original
programmer wrote it, and let me install things the way I want to.  I
don't need that new-fangled sysV init BS, when I've got my beloved BSD
rc boot script".

The term "newbie" maybe doesn't apply in this case, because it usually
refers to someone who is not only new to linux/unix, but also
inexperienced or unwilling to learn some of the hard stuff right away
(a desktop user who is fed up with Windows, usually).  My son is a
"newbie", he wants to learn some stuff but doesn't want to jump into
the "deep end".   You don't sound like you fit this description!

Welcome aboard!

----
Mark McCoy -- Professional Unix geek

"On two occasions I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put
into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am
not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that
could provoke such a question. "  -- Charles Babbage