[clug] Linux challenges

[Jack Kelly]

On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 9:53 PM, Wesley Bruce<wesleybruce at iinet.net.au> wrote:
> I'm a microsoft refugee interested in FOSS but not a programmer.
> I'm new to linux and am finding that it ain't as easy as Microsoft.
> Generally I'm running into problems with software that assumes a lot
> about the users level of information linux/Unix. The Jargon's atrocious
> and unintelligible and not in the glossaries or the help pages. They
> always start and step B or C Assuming you know where to put code. That's
> got to be A. For those of us that are used to microsoft's automatic
> installation it unbelievably frustrating.
>
> Where do you get a basic out line of what "Make" means and most
> importantly where you type these puzzling little bits of code that are
> listen in and around the make or build code functions in FOSS? Its
> particularly a problem with dependant software. The writers of the main
> software forgets to instruct you what dependant software is needed and
> how to make it and if you need to make it. The writers of the dependant
> software like Atlas-c++ assume their always dealing with people who have
> done computing courses. The last computing course I did was back when
> Bill Gates still owned money to people.

Hi Wesley,

A mixed bag of remarks:
- `man' is the command for bringing up a manual page. While they're a
bit on the terse side, they'll tell you what a command is and an idea
of how to use it. Arrows scroll through and `q' will quit. Wikipedia
tends to have pages on open source software, as well. The one for make
is fairly arcane ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_(software) ), but
there it is.

- `make' is a command that builds files from other files. The usual
case is source code into compiled code and linked into programs or
libraries. It knows how to make files from other files by reading in a
file called `Makefile'.

- Like Chris said, most applications are already available in compiled
form, so you don't need to build them yourself. Depending on which
Linux* distribution you're using, there will almost certainly be a
command or GUI that can do this for you.

- If you need to build a specific piece of software (because it's not
already available) then posting what the software is called, which
dependent bits you couldn't install and links to the relevant websites
will help. So will us knowing which distribution you're using as there
are differences.

* Some prefer to call it GNU/Linux because a lot of the fundamental
software is provided by GNU, I'll stick with Linux here for
simplicity.

Maybe you can find something useful in my ramblings.

-- Jack