slackware 10.1 questions

[spetznaz21]

okay, those questions dosnt requiere a howto.

i got slackware 10.1 installed on my pc, all is fine so far, i installed firefox, xmms mplayer and many other software.

i am trying to install other software that requiere library i dont currently have, perl library and other i cant remember for now, iam at my office.

since my slackware version is old (and the kernel is probably old too), would it be better to:

1.update the kernell, install the missing library and dependency
2.install slackware 11 with its brand new kernel.

solution 2 is appealing, but i dont know, i love my linux system so far...

[Giles]

You don't need to change the kernel just because you're missing a library - the library can be installed just like any other piece of software. The thing about slackware is that, because it doesn't have a package management system, when you download a program that needs some library or something, the installation of the library doesn't happen automatically. You have to go and find it (try google linux) and install it. But it might depend on another library in turn, so you can get into quite a long process. It's rare to need to go too long down that sort of path, tho, since most of the basic libraries that everything uses are the same, and were probably installed when you installed slackware.

Most other distros have package management programs, and indeed there are unnoficial ones for slackware, too (look for slapt-get if you're interested). But the advantage that slack gets because of this extra stability - it may be harder to install things, but it's also harder to break your system - so if you get something like slapt-get you lose a bit of that.

HTH
Giles

[spetznaz21]

humm, so in other word, it would be a better idea to install those library rathwr than change my slackware version.

its just, i am ****ing scared, I nearly started to install nlib file and i almost jumped right off my chair when i seen on google it was a hasardous manipulation that could mess up my whole kernel. the main point of updating my nlib library was to make wine working, beccause apparently, he was asking for it.

got some dependency problem with xine, but it was less dramatic, i mean, look like hard to fix but not uber impossible.

i will google those problem, this is not a prob, i was just looking if it was hasardous to use a old version rather than the most recent one..

[Giles]

humm, so in other word, it would be a better idea to install those library rathwr than change my slackware version.

Yes, that will almost cetainly be easier.*

i was just looking if it was hasardous to use a old version rather than the most recent one..

Not particularly, no. It's generally safe to assume that newer versions of a distribution will probably be more secure and generally better, but as far as I know the difference between slackware 10.2 and 11.0 is not all that huge...

Toodle-oo
Giles

* There is an option when you're installing slackware to select which individual packages you want to install, and if you did that and then unselected lots of important libraries you might find it an easier job to reinstall slackware, but I dont expect you would have done that. And even if you had, you wouldn't need to change the version of slackware you use, just reinstall the current version, including all the libraries.

[spetznaz21]

okay, i just well, installed several dependency, and it was like a piece of kate, amarok still dont work, but its like half installing now, perhaps looking in the log will know wich arte missig.

i both love and hate doing all this, beccause well, linux make me think by myself, and its frustrating somertimes and rewarding too.

[Giles]

i both love and hate doing all this, beccause well, linux make me think by myself, and its frustrating somertimes and rewarding too.

I know exactly what you mean... that mixture of frustration and joy has kept me working long into many nights

Hope it works out for you
Giles

[spetznaz21]

my behavior change too. i always say to myself i gotta play red orchestra on my way home after the job, but when i arrive, its loaded in linux, i start checking my mail, and its weird its always end i dont play my game and i just work on my linux distribution...

but today I will play red orchestra...i hope so...