4 ms·

yeah, I definitely prefer 'sudo apt get install this-thing && sudo pray-to-god-this-works'

by hoka 14y ago

geon 14y ago
Actually, there is a certain class of software that works amazingly well that well. Installing apache/php/mysql on linux with apt beats macports or plain windows so hard it's not even funny.
- nivla 14y ago
  Installing part is easy, I agree but trying to uninstall either one of them leaves a mess behind. Configuration and other misc files are left behind so if your program does not start because the conf is corrupted, uninstalling and installing doesn't work. It seems though that Ubuntu never lets the program know that it is being uninstalled leaving behind a string of custom generated files.
  - Dylan16807 14y ago
    Well that's what purge rather than uninstall is for, does it not reliably wipe out configs?
    - nivla 14y ago
      I did on some occasions but it too din't do the job. It couldn't recognize the custom generated log and config files. I was stuck tracing those files and removing them manually. If I remember correctly this was for postfix/dovecot installations.
ramgorur 14y ago
well, the last time when I used windows was like sometime between 2006-2007, I never had to pray, everything seems to work just fine and smooth until now.
spindritf 14y ago
There's a pray-to-god part, true. Largely when it comes to hardware support, which may require some unpleasant steps. Or may not work at all, though that can be usually known beforehand. But once you get the hardware to work, apt-get install really is a great way to get quality software. You list a bunch of stuff and it will get installed. Without trying to trick you into bundled crap, without charging you, with quite decent documentation included. If you run into trouble, there are people you can reach out to -- other users of your distro, mailing list, even the authors. It's not perfect, and may be time consuming but head and shoulders above of what regular users of other systems can get nowadays. More than that. Package is maintained by people who use it themselves and will usually get updated in a timely manner, with minimal effort required on your part.

yeah, I definitely prefer 'sudo apt get install this-thing && sudo pray-to-god-this-works'

by hoka 14y ago

yeah, I definitely prefer 'sudo apt get install this-thing && sudo pray-to-god-this-works'

geon 14y ago

Actually, there is a certain class of software that works amazingly well that well. Installing apache/php/mysql on linux with apt beats macports or plain windows so hard it's not even funny.

nivla 14y ago
Installing part is easy, I agree but trying to uninstall either one of them leaves a mess behind. Configuration and other misc files are left behind so if your program does not start because the conf is corrupted, uninstalling and installing doesn't work. It seems though that Ubuntu never lets the program know that it is being uninstalled leaving behind a string of custom generated files.
- Dylan16807 14y ago
  Well that's what purge rather than uninstall is for, does it not reliably wipe out configs?
  - nivla 14y ago
    I did on some occasions but it too din't do the job. It couldn't recognize the custom generated log and config files. I was stuck tracing those files and removing them manually. If I remember correctly this was for postfix/dovecot installations.

ramgorur 14y ago

well, the last time when I used windows was like sometime between 2006-2007, I never had to pray, everything seems to work just fine and smooth until now.

spindritf 14y ago

There's a pray-to-god part, true. Largely when it comes to hardware support, which may require some unpleasant steps. Or may not work at all, though that can be usually known beforehand. But once you get the hardware to work, apt-get install really is a great way to get quality software. You list a bunch of stuff and it will get installed. Without trying to trick you into bundled crap, without charging you, with quite decent documentation included. If you run into trouble, there are people you can reach out to -- other users of your distro, mailing list, even the authors. It's not perfect, and may be time consuming but head and shoulders above of what regular users of other systems can get nowadays. More than that. Package is maintained by people who use it themselves and will usually get updated in a timely manner, with minimal effort required on your part.