Re: Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
On Thu, 2005-10-06 at 09:35 -0700, Jeremy Merritt wrote: > What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"? Like they said, it's the difference between .rpm's and .deb's, and the package managers. They both contain the install location(s) and a list of dependencies. The big difference is that apt-get, and friends, don't simply throw up their hands when a dependency is missing -- they go get it and install it. Usually -- and when they don't, it's cause for massive whinage on the user lists until the prob is fixed. Apt-get has been ported to several rpm distros, and does an outstanding job installing rpm packages (and fetching dependencies). Apt's benes are more in the package handling software than in the packages themselves. > Can you manage any packages via RPM in Debian? I saw there was some > kind of RPM utility but I never worked with it much. rpm itself is there, if you want to apt-get install it, and it will unpack a package, check for dependencies, and install just fine. The biggest problem you can run into using random rpm packages is that they may (very often will) look for dependencies in the wrong places and/or install things in the wrong places -- RedHat/Mandrake/SuSE places instead of Debian places. -- Glenn English [EMAIL PROTECTED] GPG ID: D0D7FF20 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
On Thu, Oct 06, 2005 at 09:35:37AM -0700, Jeremy Merritt wrote:
> I started using Debian in the past 2 months after using another Linux distro
> for a long time. The other distro relies on RPM for its package management,
> with the consequence of the user having to go through "dependency hell" on a
> regular basis. I have been amazed at the size of the Synaptic Package
> repository and how seamless it integrates with Debian. Also, I have noticed
> that some other distros, presumably built on Debian technology, use the same,
> or a similar, system for package management.
>
> What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"?
As already stated, you really mean to ask what makes .deb packages different
from .rpm?
A very important difference is that .deb packages comply with Debian policy for
placement
of files on disk ("a place for everything and everything in its place"). Look
for the
document of Hierarchical File Structure on the Debian web site. Alien trys to
make some
corrections but can't really handle all cases of muddle headedness that occur
in .rpm
packages.
--
Paul E Condon
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
--
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
On Thu, Oct 06, 2005 at 09:35:37AM -0700, Jeremy Merritt wrote: > I started using Debian in the past 2 months after using another > Linux distro for a long time. The other distro relies on RPM for its > package management, with the consequence of the user having to go > through "dependency hell" on a regular basis. I have been amazed at > the size of the Synaptic Package repository and how seamless it > integrates with Debian. Also, I have noticed that some other > distros, presumably built on Debian technology, use the same, or a > similar, system for package management. > > What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"? The package management system (apt* and dpkg) are better at handling dependencies than *some* (read most) other distributions' correspnding tools. > Can you manage any packages via RPM in Debian? I saw there was some kind of > RPM utility but I never worked with it much. alien converts other package formats, including RPMs, to debs. However, it is recommended that you consider it a last resort, and stick to reliable debs. Kumar -- Kumar Appaiah, 462, Jamuna Hostel, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai - 600 036 signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Re: Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
On Thu, Oct 06, 2005 at 05:39:43PM +0100, Thomas Adam wrote: --- Jeremy Merritt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"? The question you're really asking is: "What makes .deb different from .rpm in concept." ... because Synaptic is just a GUI-frontend. The tools behind it (dpkg, and friends) do all the real work. Can you manage any packages via RPM in Debian? I saw there was some kind of RPM utility but I never worked with it much. There's "alien", but you shouldn't need it, and I wouldn't recommend you use it on any critical packages you're going to need to install. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a .deb file of an RPM already in existance, for most packages. It should also be noted that alien converts the RPM package to a .deb package that can be installed with dpkg, and therefore be managed by the package system. You can install packages directly via rpm sometimes but I wouldn't recommend it, since they will not be registered with the debian package system. -- Steve Block http://ev-15.com/ http://steveblock.com/ [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
--- Jeremy Merritt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"? The question you're really asking is: "What makes .deb different from .rpm in concept." ... because Synaptic is just a GUI-frontend. The tools behind it (dpkg, and friends) do all the real work. > Can you manage any packages via RPM in Debian? I saw there was some > kind of RPM utility but I never worked with it much. There's "alien", but you shouldn't need it, and I wouldn't recommend you use it on any critical packages you're going to need to install. I'd be surprised if there wasn't a .deb file of an RPM already in existance, for most packages. -- Thomas Adam ___ To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. http://uk.security.yahoo.com -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Synaptic Package Manager vs. RPM
I started using Debian in the past 2 months after using another Linux distro for a long time. The other distro relies on RPM for its package management, with the consequence of the user having to go through "dependency hell" on a regular basis. I have been amazed at the size of the Synaptic Package repository and how seamless it integrates with Debian. Also, I have noticed that some other distros, presumably built on Debian technology, use the same, or a similar, system for package management. What makes Synaptic different from RPM in "concept"? Can you manage any packages via RPM in Debian? I saw there was some kind of RPM utility but I never worked with it much. Thanks for any input. Yahoo! for Good Click here to donate to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
