Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 18th Aug 2008 23:33 UTC, submitted by Charles Wilson
GoboLinux is a distribution which sports a different file system structure than 'ordinary' Linux distributions. In order to remain compatible with the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard, symbolic links are used to map the GoboLinux tree to standard UNIX directories. A post in the GoboLinux forums suggested that it might be better to turn the concept around: retain the FHS, and then use symbolic links to map the GoboLinux tree on top of it. This sparked some interesting discussion. Read on for more details.
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RE[4]: Do we care? Really?
by ichi on Tue 19th Aug 2008 11:48
in reply to "RE[3]: Do we care? Really?"
Member since:2007-03-06
Do you get automatic entries in your desktop environment's menu for those two Firefoxes? Or do you have to manually create .desktop files and add them to the menu yourself? Does your package manager know you have two versions of Firefox installed, and does it keep both of them up-to-date? Or do you have to do that manually? Does it work for other programs too?
If I use slots then it does.
If I install manually on my home then it obviously does not (well, firefox updates itself, but that's unrelated).
Then again the point of installing two versions is testing, not day to day usage.
Regarding .desktop files, I don't think I've ever created one of those manually.
So, for one application you install it manually in your home directory, and for another package you have to resort to specifically creating binary packages manually, install them, and then remove them once you're done?
No, I quickpkg the old version and then update the app.
I would quickpkg any app I'm messing with anyway, more so if it's svn stuff.
It's not any more manual than just installing an app, as you can tell portage to do it at the same time.
Firefox autoupdates itself, so I don't care if a test version is being tracked by the package manager or not.
And well, I'll obviusly end removing the version I'm testing if I won't be using it. What would be the point of keeping it?
Can you run several binary Gentoo packages created with quickpkg side-by-side? Can your package manager keep track of both of them?
Sure, that's what slots are for. It doesn't matter wether they are binary packages or not, just the package versions.
Yeah, real elegant. Another case of massive band-aids and patchwork instead of an elegant design that took all of these features into account from day one. Anything but easy.
I find it quite convenient. And easy.
Whatever floats your boat.
RE[4]: Do we care? Really?
by jack_perry on Tue 19th Aug 2008 12:57
in reply to "RE[3]: Do we care? Really?"
Member since:2005-07-06
RE[4]: Do we care? Really?
by leech on Tue 19th Aug 2008 18:07
in reply to "RE[3]: Do we care? Really?"
Member since:2006-01-10
I'm confused Thom. On the one hand you say you're an advanced user and you complain that you can't have two different versions installed? You download the tarball, extract it to it's directory, compile it, run it with ./program_name and you're good to go.
Who cares if the package manager doesn't know about it, and who cares if it doesn't create a shiny menu entry for you. The fact of the matter is, that because you're an 'advanced' user, you are not the type of person who should even be caring if the directories are /bin or /Programs. An advanced user would know better.
The FHS doesn't prevent you from having multiple versions of anything. Usually when you download a program, and extract it, it creates a program-name-0.x style folder for you anyhow, so you could still have compiled and running program-name-0.1 and program-name-0.2 etc.
Sounds to me like you're just whining about a non-issue.
If you want to see a proper way that a distribution can use the FHS, look at Debian. Their strict packaging guidelines make sure that there is always a /usr/share/doc/package directory and at least a README in there.
I do agree that not all distributions are as good at keeping it clean and lean as Debian.
The fact that people always say "Oh, but the files are all over the place" really hasn't done any research into Debian's packaging rules.
RE[5]: Do we care? Really?
by mormon on Wed 20th Aug 2008 07:57
in reply to "RE[4]: Do we care? Really?"
Member since:2005-08-13
1st. You're saying that having 2 versions of i.e. firefox is only for testing new software versions. I want to assure you that it is very common solution for Web developers. You have to test application in different browsers even different versions of browsers.
2nd. You're saying about Debian's way of directory structure. Please try install Tomcat and configure it in Debian. /usr/share/doc isn't the most important in this case.
3rd. Bundle way of handling software would standardize Linux without having multilayer package managers (apt-get is a layer over deb and there are multi-managers which are layers over apt-get).
News
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"The Verge has learned that HTC's Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera, left the company last week. Kodera was responsible for HTC's overall product strategy, which makes the departure especially notable on the heels of the global launch of the make-or-break One. It's not just Kodera. In the past three-odd months, HTC has lost a number of employees in rapid succession." I really hope HTC pulls it together.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/22/13 13:30 UTC, submitted by JRepin
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 22:06 UTC
"The first killer app was VisiCalc. This early spreadsheet turned the Apple II from a hobbyist toy to a business computer. VisiCalc came with room for improvement, though. In addition, a new architecture and operating system, the Intel-based IBM PC and MS-DOS, also needed a spreadsheet to be taken seriously. That spreadsheet, released in early 1983, would be Lotus 1-2-3, and it would change the world. It became the PC's killer app, and the world would never be the same. On May 14, IBM quietly announced the end of the road for 1-2-3, along with Lotus Organizer and the Lotus SmartSuite office suite. Lotus 1-2-3's day is done." Impressive 30 year run.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:45 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 15:53 UTC
The new WebKit Opera for Android has been released. "Opera 14 for Android is built on top of Chromium 26, with a total overhaul of the UI in native code, making it fit well with the latest Android design guidelines. Go get the build from Google Play or point your browser to m.opera.com, and give it a spin!"
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 22:43 UTC
The Verge pointed me to a blog post by Leap Motion - which reveals how their Kinect-like motion control works with Windows 8. "From the second you plug in your Leap Motion Controller, you'll be able to browse the web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air. With Leap Motion technology and Windows, you can do everything that's possible with multi-touch inputs - without actually touching anything. This also means that existing applications in Windows 7 and 8 will respond to your natural hand and finger movements. Soon, we'll show you how Leap Motion will work with Mac OS X." Quite cool.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 21:50 UTC
PocketNow interviews Marc Dillon, and there's an interesting note about why Jolla is keeping the display properties under wraps: "We're leaving some of those details out because we do understand that there are a lot of really big players in the market and they tend to take certain components in the market and dominate them. We created the ability to actually be able to run Sailfish on multiple hardware displays and be able to swap components, so this is part of the demand and supply planning phase. We are committed to this industrial design which is a 4.5-inch display, an 8 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing camera at the front, and the exact specs of the display we'll provide when we're close to delivery." Something you rarely hear anything about.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/19/13 23:15 UTC
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/19/13 23:11 UTC, submitted by Drumhellar
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:06 UTC
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Member since:
2005-06-29
Don't you realise how much you're proving my point here?
Do you get automatic entries in your desktop environment's menu for those two Firefoxes? Or do you have to manually create .desktop files and add them to the menu yourself? Does your package manager know you have two versions of Firefox installed, and does it keep both of them up-to-date? Or do you have to do that manually? Does it work for other programs too?
So, for one application you install it manually in your home directory, and for another package you have to resort to specifically creating binary packages manually, install them, and then remove them once you're done? Can you run several binary Gentoo packages created with quickpkg side-by-side? Can your package manager keep track of both of them? Or is it another manual job, just like the Firefox stuff above?
Yeah, real elegant. Another case of massive band-aids and patchwork instead of an elegant design that took all of these features into account from day one. Anything but easy.
Edited 2008-08-19 11:11 UTC