Re: Development package hint in INSTALL for GNU/Linux?

[Robert J. Chassell]

   > The general idea is good, but I think that "X11 development package"
   > is too vague.  It would be good to list the names it has in Debian and
   > Red Hat.  And likewise for a couple of other specific packages one
   > may need.

   Maybe it's best to just note that the header files are needed. If we start
   mentioning Debian/RedHat package names they'll probably change names next
   week. ....

It is better to list the names.  The names do change, but not
frequently.  Even obsolete names are better than none.

The reason is that I did not know that the Red Hat or Debian dev
packages have the requisite files in them.  If you said `you need the
header files' I would have thought that I needed to download complete
source packages.  That is what I have done in the past.  Since I have
a slow connection, this has taken me considerable time.

If you just say that Red Hat and Debian dev packages have the
necessary files in them, then I have to figure out their names.  That
takes time, too.  Better to list them.  Then, even if a name has
changed from, for example, libxaw6-dev to libxaw7-dev, I can readily
figure out what I need.

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                         Rattlesnake Enterprises
    http://www.rattlesnake.com                  GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8
    http://www.teak.cc                             address@hidden