Installation Strategies...(was Emacs, Netscape...)
Wyn Snow <dragonscale@berkshire.net> wrote,
"I recently spent a day installing kernel 2.0.34 with full X-windows
and Emacs and web stuff, and configuring everything the way I want.
I downloaded three different Netscape binaries off the Netscape site,
all for Linux, in various flavors (4.06 Navigator only, 4.06
Communicator, 4.5x can't-remember-if-it-was-just-Nav-or-Communicator).
After gunzipping and de- tarring them and ns-installing them, and
trying to run them, they all said they could not load libXpm.so.4
(sigh)."
Wyn, we've all run into similar problems. You said you have been
learning how to use dpkg and dselect and that you've gotten fairly
proficient with them. Great! One bit of advice -- one I learned
after installing Debian on many-a-system -- DON'T USE DSELECT. IMHO,
it simply sucks. Oh, it's a great tool for the uninitiated, someone
who needs a template machine to work with, but for someone who wants
consistency and control over their system, it simply doesn't work
well. I've tried to use it, but I end up having to "unselect" too
many packages to make it worth it's while. The ONLY thing I use
dselect to do now-a-days is to browse through the package
descriptions.
Use 'apt'. The command is actually 'apt-get', but it's an excellent
tool to use. Once you configure the /etc/apt/sources.list file to
point at your desired source and run 'apt-get update', apt-get will
fetch all the required and dependent packages you need to install a
given package. For example, if you want to install Netscape 4.05, the
package you'd want is most likely called navigator-smotif-405. The apt
command sequence would look like:
# apt-get update
# apt-get install navigator-smotif-405
You would be prompted for confirmation to download all the necessary
packages. It would then perform the download and the necessary dpkg
instances in the correct order. With that in mind, consider
installing your debian system without the use of dselect. Go through
the standard debian installation, but skip the "template" computer
selection, and likewise quit out of 'dselect' when it comes up. Then
rely on using apt-get. You will ONLY get the packages you select and
the ones they're dependent upon. This also makes it easier to do an
'apt-get dist-upgrade' when pointing to the 'potato' version on debian
(unstable). You'll have less packages to upgrade, especially ones
that you don't need or care about.
In fact, I just got done doing just that. I installed the base
system from 2.1. Installed the source package for the new kernel
(2.2.x) by pointing to the unstable package tree. Installed all the
necessary tools to compile the kernel (via apt). Etc... One last
advantage to this method of install... You know exactly what is on
your machine, and you are forced to take the time to learn about each
package you install. Your overall knowledge of your system will grow
much quicker than installing via dselect.
(P.S. Wyn. I'd get away from using the older kernel. 2.2.x is soo
much better. *grin*)
^chewie
http://nerp.net/~chewie <<--- Check it out! I'm selling my truck!
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