[NTLUG:Discuss] Debian

[Terry]

On 6/23/05, Leroy Tennison <leroy_tennison at prodigy.net> wrote:
> Peter A. Koren wrote:
> 
> >Terry, you raise a good point. I have had it with the brain dead rpm
> >"dependency hell". I will be switching from Mandrake to another -- or
> >other -- distribution(s). I have been trying to install SciPy, the
> >Scientific Python package for Linux and have run into one roadblock
> >after another. After trying to set up Mandrake's URPMI install manager
> >for the 6 CD Power Pack version of 10.1 by adding each disk to be
> >considered a source, the manager complained that the dependency files
> >were missing from some of those disks.
> >
> >In any case, I will be switching to Quantian Linux, a Knoppix derivative
> >-- Knoppix itself being a live CD derivative of Debian. I can also
> >install Quantian to the hard drive and I intend to do that. Quantian is
> >one of two distributions I know of that serves the scientific and
> >engineering community with distributions having a slew of appropriate --
> >scientific and engineering -- applications installed by default.
> >
> >The other distribution that interests me is Scientific Linux, which used
> >to be Fermi Linux (Fermi Labs). They have a version with 64 bit support
> >that I will install on a new box that I will build. I will be at Fry's
> >today to research hardware options for that box, but I will buy online.
> >Scientific Linux is a Fedora based distribution and is actually Red Hat
> >Enterprise Edition with the Scientific stuff added. It is currently
> >Fedora 3 based. But there is apt-get support available. apt4rpm and
> >Synaptic are well supported for Fedora -- unlike Mandrake (at least I
> >could not find a way to do it with Mandrake).
> >
> >So yes, apt-get and its front end gui, Synaptic, are critical pieces,
> >but even some rpm based distributions have a way to use these tools. Red
> >Hat, Fedora and I Suse have support available for apt-get and Synaptic.
> >
> >On Tue, 2005-06-21 at 06:21 -0500, Terry wrote:
> >
> >
> >>While experimenting with Ubuntu just now, I ran Ubuntu's live cd on an
> >>old PC and in the process, I found some files on an old drive in that
> >>PC that I wanted to retrieve and thought I'd do it via scp, BUT, alas,
> >>I found that Ubuntu's live CD did NOT have sshd installed.
> >>[openssh-client is installed but not openssh-server] BUT, I was able
> >>to use apt-get to install openssh-server, [even though it's just a
> >>live CD!].
> >>My question is:
> >>Is this particular to Debian and / or Ubuntu?
> >>In other words:
> >>Have I just discovered one of the cool treasures of Debian / Ubuntu?
> >>or Did I just experience yet another Linux epiphany?
> >>In other words:
> >>Is this new found capability just yet another of the added advantages
> >>of using apt-get?  And, it would follow, that if any live CD from any
> >>other distro included apt-get installed and configured properly, one
> >>could do the same thing?
> >>How about another package manager? Would another package manager be
> >>able to install applications to a live CD [with one single command]?
> >>or....?
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >https://ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> >
> >
> >
> Now I'm curious, if there are distros that aren't RPM-based:
>     What do they use for "packaging"
>     How do they solve the 'dependency' problem differently?
>     What are the other advantages/disadvantages?

Debian uses dpkg and apt-get
Redhat uses rpm and yum [and apt-get if you like]
Mandriva uses rpm and urpmi [and apt-get if you like]
Slackware uses pkgtool installpkg removepkg upgradepkg etc.

They all run into  dependency problems when installing some
applications.  RedHat or Fedora's package manager is  rpm and rpm
reports dependencies to the user, but if you use yum, it will do a
pretty good job of solving those dependencies for you automatically.
(Yum is an automatic updater and package installer/remover for rpm)

apt-get is debian's version of an "automatic updater and package
installer/remover" and it works as well as yum, if not better.

And, well...
Here are some references: (which will explain better than I)
Fedora:
http://learn.clemsonlinux.org/wiki/Fedora:Package_management
Debian:
http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-pkg_basics.en.html
Mandriva:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandriva_Linux#Package_manager
Slackware:
http://slackware.com/book/index.php?source=x4000.html

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