Installing and removing RPM Packages...

I just want to stick in here my 2cp about my experience with these RPM packages et all...

I found a couple of things in Linux that really helped me. When I did a standard install of 7.1 (then 7.2), I found that the gcc 2.x compiler was installed and not the 3.x by default. One nice thing I was able to use to remove the package was the GnomeRPM GUI tool that comes with RedHat.... If there's a dependent package, I just wrote the names down and removed those too... voila....

As for installing the packages (if you didn't use the GUI), I was playing a bit and (believe it or not) with a typo, I found the text driven utility "Midnight Commander". For those of you familiar with the old Norton Commander from the good old days of DOS on the Intel platform, this works almost exactly the same. As a matter of fact, it even looks the same.

Armed with this dandy little utility, I was able to copy, move, delete, search, and most improtant of all, navagate in and out of the RPM files. It would open and navigate into one just like a directory. From there I was able to copy the files out or even select the INSTALL or UPGRADE files contained in each RPM and performe those funcitons.

Those really made dealing with the learning curve of Linux on RedHat much easier for me....

That's how I've learned my little bit o' knowledge with linux - get in, play with it, see how it works, and if you break it - it's only a 10 minute reinstall!

I've always been in the mindset of a linux 'newbie' isn't a newbie to computers or an OS, but has a working knowledge of the 'standard' OS's (Windows, DOS, Mac OS, etc etc), networking, and hardware and wants to broaden their knowledge (and job potential - more money is always good!).

These days it seems this damned plug and play mentality is putting a damper on learning. Everyone wants everything 10 seconds ago and already done for them. "I just want to click it and it work!"

Where's the fun in that?? Get under the hood, take the OS apart, see what makes it tick (or seg fault). SEQ has been a great learning experience for me. I started running linux because of it and can troubleshoot most problems that come up. I'm getting around on how to solve them... eventually.

I don't mean to offend anyone, but if you want a 'click it and go' OS, can't get SEQ to work, and just want someone to fix it - then a pox upon your household and genitals! You shouldn't be here in the first place. Go back to Windows.

Wow, when I go off on a tangent, I get WAY off! Did I come off as a total ass or moron?

lostpacket,

on the last question... why does it have to be either-or? :D

I can be all things to all people, but I'm not wearing those high heels again!

..did I get my message boards mixed up again?