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« on: 2011.10.31, 23:26:14 »
My 2 cents worth:
-Rant on-
Although I do not like the 'chuck everything in the same directory' approach of the linux file structure, there are major advantages. I am not a programmer/developer, but I do understand some of the problems they encounter, especially when porting from Linux, which is defacto the major source of 'new' applications for OS/2. Instead of focussing on the downside of using the linux file structure, we should look at the advantages. As an example, Ko Myung Hung's VLC port. It uses a linux structure, probably because it would be a lot more work to port it in an os/2 way, if at all possible. I have taken the zip and moved it to the rpm/yum created tree, deleted the config.sys path entry that was needed according to the docs, and it works. To keep everything separate would mean the path/libpath statements in config.sys will simply grow too large. This problem is at least 10 years old.... and disappears using the linux structure. As for rpm/yum, it does have problems. It wouldn't install properly on my system and I had to use rpm with a force flag to install some libraries that weren't properly installed by the bootstrap. Still, it works now. ClamAV doesn't work, don't know if it's an installation problem or a bug in the port. A GUI will come for rpm/yum, which will make it easier to use, but even from the command line it's not that difficult, especially not for those who are used to 'put everything where they want it' like me. We fiddle around a lot with stuff anyway, and therefore are familiar with how things work. Let's not forget that most OS/2 development is done in free time, unpaid. Even the paid development will most likely pay a lot less then say, what the guy I know at Google makes in a month.... Beggars can't be choosers, and we are beggars with respect to development. Let's be glad there are still people willing to put a lot of time and effort in making things work. Dima's statement about 'developer knows best' may be a little crass in formulation, the fact is that coding wise, he is entirely right. Only those who port programs, know how the stuff works and is the most easily ported.
-rant off-