[Malvern] Available Packages.

[Guy Inchbald]

Geoff Bagley <geoff.bagley at btopenworld.com> writes
>I get the impression that the the wide range of goodies available
>on Debian,  and by inheritance also on Knoppix,  is unsurpassed by the other
>(free) distros.

I guess most free distros have less effort to call on than Debian, so
need to keep a slimmer goodies CD. I'd also suspect that many embody
assorted personal crusades, and filter-out packages accordingly, such as
being only GNOME or only KDE, with or without Mozilla, etc. Maybe niche
markets have something to do with it too.


>I have Slackware up and running, as well as Debian and Knoppix,  but I
>wonder where all the packages are hidden ?

AIUI Slackware is a one-man operation, aimed at the expert system
builder who wants to install their chosen apps their way. A wad of pre-
supplied goodies would be both impractical and little-used.


>I think that the Debian/Knoppix set-up is going to take a
>bit of beating,  especially with synaptic and apt-get.
>
>Any views ?

Why so few distros make anything much of apt-get is beyond me. Maybe
they're offended that rpm management has to be grafted on top, or maybe
they're trying to differentiate their product.

<mode level="ingoramus">
Er, what is synaptic?
</dunce>

What I am really waiting for is the forthcoming Debian installer. IMHO
this will open up a huge new market for Debian (including me).

Cheers,
Guy