Subj : Re: Open Source Leaving Microsoft Sitting on the Fence? To : comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux From : swift Date : Sat Jul 24 2004 01:38 am In article , Linønut wrote: >What do you mean, "across platforms"? It's all Windows. Anything >coded to the subset of the Win32 API that is supported on Win95 through >Win 2003 ought to run. > >MS has you snookered into thinking Windows is more than one platform. Interesting. Do you think the various Linux distributions are different platforms, then? Windows does have 2 families, the 9x/Me and NT/2k/Xp ones. They trade off backward-compatibility (DOS) support against system protection. But the substantial part of the Win32 API works on both families, which is a tribute to good organization. >> M$ installation/uninstallaion used to be a fiasco, but it has >> straightened out over the years. Linux installation remains highly >> iffy; one can't even decide whether source or binary distributions >> make more sense. > >That's because both make sense. Have you ever tried building a source package distribution that depended on package information of another package that you just happened to have installed in binary, where the package information was not available. Dependency hell. I wanted to get the Nautilus file manager, which is only available in source. So far, I've had to get some 1 dozen libraries and packages to build it, and I'm still stumped. I just need the desktop to work to get other stuff done, for heaven's sake. Instead, I'm stuck with using a buggy version or spending countless hours upgrading. -- Keep it brief: http://www2.paypc.com/mailrules/ .