We will soon be at FC4 and system-config-packages will still fall short

[Lamar Owen]

On Wednesday 23 March 2005 22:32, seth vidal wrote:
> not entirely. Being a front end to yum, just like being a front end to
> apt, would make for an EXTREMELY complex interface. Gui programs that
> are merely front ends to cli programs are typically not-so-good. 

Synaptic is quite nice, in my opinion.  It works for the purpose, gives a 
great, not very complicated GUI, and just works.  I use version 0.55.3 here, 
and love it.  Being able to answer the simple question "Hmmm, low on disk 
space...what large package can I get rid of that will give me the space I 
need?" is nice; with synaptic I just sort the packages by size, show all 
packages, and start doing 'what if?' scenarios on package removal.  Similar 
functionality in a GUI package manager that is not dependent upon apt would 
be nice; yum based or directly on top of librpm, I don't care.  But I need 
the functionality synaptic provides that I've not yet found elsewhere; I know 
there are problems with apt4rpm (like multilib, lack of development, etc) but 
the synaptic front end is a killer app, and until a suitable replacement is 
available apt4rpm will not die for the users out there.  It's just too handy.

Yumi (Cobind Software Manager) is terrible, on the other hand.  I just thought 
synaptic took a long time to do things....

> If you 
> need any evidence of that look at all the programs that try to wrap
> mkisos and cdrecord. They're a nightmare. 

Not k3b, at least in my opinion. K3b is IMO the best CD/DVD burning app out 
there for Linux at this time.

> But then you look at something 
> like the nautilus cd burning interface and it's reasonably
> straightforward.

I don't use GNOME, so nautilus is irrelevant to me.  I like and use KDE and 
have no reason to change; too much archived mail (in both maildir and mbox 
format; tried to convert to evolution once and it was a nightmare thanks to 
the inability at that time to  move my filters from kmail over; I have 
hundreds of folders with hundreds of filters to place mail in the right 
folder, and I'm not losing that work!), too much intellectual equity in KDE 
at this point.  Been running it since Mandrake 5.3 days back when Red Hat 
refused to use KDE due to the Qt license.  Very glad when Red Hat 6 included 
KDE.  Use kstars for work to do telescope control, too.  No equivalent GNOME 
program.  When GNOME gives me enough reason to switch, perhaps I'll switch.  
But not at this point.
-- 
Lamar Owen
Director of Information Technology
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
1 PARI Drive
Rosman, NC  28772
(828)862-5554
www.pari.edu