Chris Devers wrote a reply to my query about not being able to install readline. I had migrated away from the GNU-Darwin distribution to the Fink dist, because the GNU-Darwin dist was giving me all kinds of configuration problems. I don't have Chris's email as I lost my email for that day due to Netscape 7.0 locking up and not letting me send email, although I could receive it.
Before I received Chris's reply I had started from scratch again and installed the fink base files, used a 'fink scanpackages' command, and updated once with deselect to get the list of binary packages available. Then I switched to the new mirror site for the binaries. When I first used dselect, it told me of some new updates for some of the fink base packages, but I could not install them or anything else with dselect at that point. So after fiddling around I found that I could install about half of the distribution with apt-get and it would safely igonre the updates. Chris suggested that I check and see if I had install in more than one executable directory, with maybe a bogus command from GNU-Darwin causing the problem. I had erased the GNU-Darwin dist. and X-11 software before I attempted a fink installation, but, of course, there could still be some executables in the directories interferring with fink. When I did a which install, I got /usr/bin/install, but other commands could be the problem. Doing a locate I found I also had a /usr/local/install (the latter probably from GNU-Darwin). I put /sw/bin and /sw/sbin right after /bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin, and I found I could install the rest of the distribution without any more troubles using apt-get. I then used dselect to update those base packages. I had never used the debian package manager tools before, and I got plenty of opportunity to check out all their nuances. I now think they are a wonderful set of tools, and I am impressed with the way the fink dist. is set up. I wrote this email not so much to give kudos to the open source programmers efforts with the fink dist, although I think they deserve a few, but as a point for anyone who is switching from GNU-Darwin to fink. Please remember to check your path order and move the sw/bin and sw/sbin before any usr/local or usr/share executable files. One more comment. I notice that I now have to locate databases. One, the Apple database located at /private/var/db/locate.database and the sw database at /sw/var/locatedb. The former is used by Apple to update NetInfo. Is the latter just used by fink programs? Do I need two databases, and is the latter fink database updated on a regular basis? Thanks everyone who responded to my queries, they sure helped. I'll try to contribute to the mailing list if I can. Gary K. Olson Consulting Engineer ------------------------------------------------------- This sf.net email is sponsored by:ThinkGeek Welcome to geek heaven. http://thinkgeek.com/sf _______________________________________________ Fink-users mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/fink-users
