I prefer to use source to start with as well but there are many advantages to RPMs and other package formats like slackware, openbsd, solaris .pkg or debian .debs...
1.Removing the packages is easier than uninstalling source 2.Upgrading is simplified especially across a cluster of machines 3.Easier to get an identical install on several machines It's great to have the power tweak things to your liking but when you manage alot of boxen simplicity is very important. When it's necessary I prefer to start with source and build distribution/os specific packages so I can get the best of both worlds On redhat this works out really well. It's really cool because with these projects Current http://current.tigris.org/ AutoUpdate http://www.mat.univie.ac.at/~gerald/ftp/autoupdate/index.html NRH Up2date http://www.nrh-up2date.org can setup your own up2date or up2dateish server to keep a group of machines with a customized set of rpms (that aren't part of the base distribution) updated simultaneously All of that being said if you are running any kind of a large site with many machines that need updated on a fairly regular basis .pkg or .rpms are a life saver only a sadist would rebuild everything from source. When you are thinking of building your new hot package from source ask your self the following questions 1.Can what you want to do can be done with a vendor supplied package. 2.Is there a know security flaw or bug in the vendor supplied package? 3.Will I gain a significant performance gain by compiling this myself. If your answers are Yes, No and No (which is often the case) than factored with the ease of update when vendor supplied binary packages are available you would be an idiot not to use them. just my 2 pennies David Rodgers On Thu, 2003-10-16 at 09:28, Darren Coleman wrote: > I'm Linux SysAdmin at the company I work for, I always install > everything from source. > A colleague, a Windows SysAdmin, installs everything on his Linux boxes > from RPMs. > > What does that tell you? :) > > Although I like the concept behind RPMs, and they work well for vanilla > installations (like SA oddly enough), I much prefer compiling things > from scratch with whichever machine specific optimisations I care to > implement. > > Daz > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > > Behalf Of Chris Santerre > > Sent: 16 October 2003 14:48 > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: RE: [SAtalk] Spamassassin updates > > > > > > The topic of updates has come up every new version of SA. You have 3 > > options: > > > > 1) Source > > 2) RPM > > 3) CPAN > > > > For some strange reason I always like the source. I think it > > goes back to my > > childhood, when mom said "Why do you have to do everything > > the hard way?" > > :-) > > > > Anywho, I would love to see this subject broken down on the > > wiki in nice > > form. I'm not even close to being able to write that. I've > > only upgraded > > once, and that was before it went live. 2.61 will be my next upgrade. > > > > It's just a suggestion, but any takers? This has been a great thread. > > > > --Chris > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > > This SF.net email is sponsored by: SF.net Giveback Program. > > SourceForge.net hosts over 70,000 Open Source Projects. > > See the people who have HELPED US provide better services: > > Click here: http://sourceforge.net/supporters.php > > _______________________________________________ > > Spamassassin-talk mailing list > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/spamassassin-talk > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.net email is sponsored by: SF.net Giveback Program. > SourceForge.net hosts over 70,000 Open Source Projects. > See the people who have HELPED US provide better services: > Click here: http://sourceforge.net/supporters.php > _______________________________________________ > Spamassassin-talk mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/spamassassin-talk > > ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: SF.net Giveback Program. SourceForge.net hosts over 70,000 Open Source Projects. See the people who have HELPED US provide better services: Click here: http://sourceforge.net/supporters.php _______________________________________________ Spamassassin-talk mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/spamassassin-talk
