There are currently at least five popular ways of installing software in GNU/Linux. None of them are widely accepted throughout the popular distributions. This situation is not a problem for experienced users - they can make decisions for themselves. However, for a newcomer in the GNU/Linux world, installing new software is always pretty confusing. The article tries to sum up some of the recent efforts to fix this problem and examine the possible future of packaging software in GNU/Linux.
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Member since:2006-05-14
snip --->"
Granny will not be hunting the web for bleeding edge software updates. The tested and tightly integrated distribution packages provide a far more convenient solution for this kind of user.
Ok, to tell you the truth, on Windows systems, there is an "Update" icon in the system tray that tells the user there are system updates ready to install. Most non-technical users don't even notice/care about it, and even if the computer downloaded system updated in the background, they aren't installed, thus the system isn't updated.
Alright. In Linux, there is an "Update" icon in the upper-right corner that is red when the system has new system/software updates. We click this icon because we know what it's meant at, and because we care about it. But I'm sure Granny wouldn't notice or care about it. It's not because it's Linux that the situation would change.
So, no, the tested and tightly integrated distribution packages does not provide a far more convenient solution for this kind of user.
" <--- snip
What kind of logic is that? Of course it's more convenient! Just because someone doesn't click the "Updates Available"-type of icon doesn't make it less convenient. It's also a perfect example of when to set the "Apply Updates Automatically" option in the update manager in the OS of your choice.
Member since:
2005-06-29
Granny will not be hunting the web for bleeding edge software updates. The tested and tightly integrated distribution packages provide a far more convenient solution for this kind of user.
Ok, to tell you the truth, on Windows systems, there is an "Update" icon in the system tray that tells the user there are system updates ready to install. Most non-technical users don't even notice/care about it, and even if the computer downloaded system updated in the background, they aren't installed, thus the system isn't updated.
Alright. In Linux, there is an "Update" icon in the upper-right corner that is red when the system has new system/software updates. We click this icon because we know what it's meant at, and because we care about it. But I'm sure Granny wouldn't notice or care about it. It's not because it's Linux that the situation would change.
So, no, the tested and tightly integrated distribution packages does not provide a far more convenient solution for this kind of user.