On Friday 26 January 2007 08:42, Carl Wachsman wrote:
> Ok I have another problem Which do I download for Adobe Flashplayer (TAR or
> RPM) ?
> Carl Wachsman
>
> Ubuntu
There are some pro's and con's.
RPM stands for Redhat Package Manager, and is a system that makes it easy to
track what is installed with version number and so on. Though it has its
flaws it has been the main package manager since -95 for all distro's based
on RedHat. (New ones have popped up since that will overcome some of the key
disadvantages.)
With RPM it will track dependencies and it is easy to install. But it may not
have the type of settings you want in a program.
With a tar ball you need to compile and install it manually. It is harder to
do, not always very hard but still. It will not notify the package manager of
what is installed. But you can get it built just the way you want.
In the case of Adobe you are fine with the tar as all you do is copying a
file. If you get a RPM file it must be for the distro you are using and
sometimes the version of distro, as different versions can have different
requirements.
I don't use Ubuntu so I don't know what package management system is used, but
there are two package managers that you may use which is either apt or yum.
Yum is taking over as the more popular (and easier) way of installing
packages. It, like apt, works over the Internet and will figure out all the
dependencies and offer to install them automatically. (This is where RPM
falls short, it will not install any missing files.)
If you are new to Linux it will really help you to learn the basics in
managing packages as it is pretty easy, and will make life a lot easier.
If you use apt or yum you should not use the livna.org repository in
conjunction with the dag/freshrpms/dries/newrpms (RPMforge) collection of
rpms in your configuration files for automatic updates. Use one group or the
other but not both. These two groups are mutually incompatible and can cause
errors in your installation if used together for automatic updates.
Regardless of which group you choose you should also avoid using the ATrpms
repository in your yum or apt configuration files.
Others well versed in Ubuntu will no doubt fill in the missing information for
you.
--Steve Szmidt
"They that would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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