[1359] in SIPB_Linux_Development
ANNOUNCE/RFD: syspack and distribution
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Emil Sit)
Wed Aug 7 19:15:52 1996
To: linux-dev@MIT.EDU
Cc: intel-hackers@ai.mit.edu
Date: Wed, 07 Aug 1996 19:14:58 EDT
From: Emil Sit <sit@MIT.EDU>
Before the frosh arrive, we should decide on a distribution to
recommend. All of our documentation is currently pointing at Slackware
and most of us are familiar with the ways slackware is broken. A number
of us have played with RHL and like it. A smaller number of us have
played with Debian.
It'd be really nice if someone has used all three (or even the last two)
enough to offer a reasonable comparison could do so.
I've cc'ed this mail to intel-hackers@ai.mit.edu in hopes that
someone there might have played with Debian. Derek had also expressed
interest in producing a single distribution for all MIT (though this
seems unlikely given the differences between Athena and AI environments.)
From the little I have played with RH and RPM, I can make the following
comments:
* Making custom boot disks is easier [but it doesn't work sometimes for
some reason probably related to kernel versioning.]
* It looks like it would be fairly easy to add an Athena package and
the install would deal. This is something we want. However, I haven't
actually investigated how hard it would be. The RH install scripts are
written in perl and I think are somewhat readable. I remember being
very confused as to how the Slackware stuff worked.
* I like the layout of the file system a bit better.
* The package management system is much better. I'm curious how
RPM 2.1.x compares with debian's. I have noticed that it is annoying
to build RPM from sources.
Whatever distribution is chosen, we should incorporate all the bug
fixes/security patches into it. This seems like it would be difficult for
Slackware. Any sort of release-engineering would be cool :)
Relatedly, I have a complete (I hope) build of SIPB-Athena in
/afs/sipb/system/i386_linux2/srvd.77.2 though I had to do all sorts
of painful manual work to get everything to make and install. Yonah
has set appropriate suid/gid bits on things that need it.
So. People should test this. I don't use any of the login stuff on my
system so I wouldn't notice if any of that was broken.
Once we pick a distribution, we should install it on cutter-john and
use it to rebuild sipb-athena to make sure everything works with that
distribution. (yonah's idea)
On Monday I suggested a meeting at some point to discuss this stuff,
but I am going away for at least a week starting Saturday and I figure
anything before then is too short notice. [This is supposedly a
vacation but I know I'll be logging in :) I just won't be able to
physically attend any meeting.] So, hopefully there will be some comment
until we can schedule something.
Emil
--
Emil Sit / Bronx Science '95, MIT '99 -- ESG, SIPB.
Email: <sit@mit.edu>, <esit@bxscience.edu> / Web: http://web.mit.edu/sit/www/
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"What has it gots in its slasheses? Curse the Gates!
We hates him forever!" <4t7tbg$e8n@csnews.cs.colorado.edu>
