kmself@ix.netcom.com wrote: > > > You'll ohh and ahhh as apt-get fails on package name lengths that are > > too long! > > Sorry? Details? Never seen this.
As soon as I got a base system working, I updated my sources.list and used "apt-get update". It failed after retreiving the pkg files with an E: message that some package names were too long. Presumably, my 2.1 slink CD has a version of dpkg or something that has some kind of path length limitation. Sorry I didn't note the files causing it. I think maybe I should have upgraded to the lastest slink before going to woody, since the CD I'm using is several months old. But that would have meant many megabytes of d/l just to start over again to woody...and I thought I could go straight to it. In a couple days, I'm going to try again on another box, and I will note the exact message. > > > You'll quiver as apt-get begins returning "E: pre depends" messages! > > Sorry? Details? Since dpkg/apt failed due to some file length error, I tried to update them by hand (dpkg). I found some kind of circular dependency between libc6 and the newer apt/dpkg, so I ended up forcibly installing one of them. Finally, I got past the name length error, and apt-get started working again, but part of the way through the update it crashed, and when I rebooted it started giving some kind of "E: pre depends" message when it worked through the dependency list. Several people have posted to deja.com about it. The only way I could muddle through was by cycling through dpkg and apt commands til it went away. When I do the next machine (a couple days) I'll try to take more notes. > > > You'll telnet in from other machines repeatedly to kill gdmtest! > > Tsk, tsk. ssh. Telnet considered evil and twisted. > but probably okay on my private 10 net while I struggle with an install gone evil :-) > > RedHat is a system you install many times (note: biased opinion, but > based on upgrades 4.2 -> 5.0 -> 5.2). > > Debian is a system you install twice (once to learn how, once to get it > right). > I tentatively agree. But my employer (for example) would take RedHat, Storm or Corel over a raw debian, simply because their installs are far more modern and professional. But for me, I can't stand KDE, and RedHat has some oddities that just annoy the heck out of me, like (IMHO) extremely poor pre-release testing. > > I'm almost there, but this is heinous. Maybe after installing SVGA16 > > XF86Setup will start working right. Main problem now is that when I log > > in through gdm/helix gnome, there is no wm started -- just a gray > > stipple and a single button 2 menu. sawfish is installed and configured, > > but not launching I guess. Any help is appreciated. > > Yes, XF86Setup requires the SVGA16 X server. > > WRT gdm: I far prefer startx from the command line. More control, fewer > problems. Generally, it's better to get X set up and running from > startx, *then* deal with your X display manager configuration. > > You might want to check: > > - /etc/X11 in general > - /etc/alternatives/x-window-manager > - /etc/X11/<x display manager>/Xstartup > Actually, I strongly prefer startx, but don't see how to disable gdm without breaking helix-gnome -- it seems to require gdm. You can't simply edit /etc/inittab like you can on RedHat. apt-get remove gdm pulls helix-gnome off the system. I'll review those files. Ha, I left one out -- if you have a DRDOS partition, cfdisk and lilo conspire to mangle it. Doesn't happen under RedHat. --- John
