RunRev Script Editor and Linux

[Richmond]

On 07/15/2010 12:28 AM, J. Landman Gay wrote:
> 1.3.3 Requirements for Linux Systems
> The minimal requirements for Revolution to run are:
>
> • Linux kernel 2.4 and above
> • glibc 2.2.4 and above
> • X11R5 and above
>

Right, here comes Richmond Mathewson with his Ubuntu box . . .

Opens up 'Synaptic Package Manager' to find out if glibc 2.2.4 is 
installed, or, if not, whether he can install it.

He finds that there is NO mention of a package called 'glibc'; there is, 
paradoxically something called
'glibc-doc' which is described as the documentation for the 'Embedded 
GNU C library'.

So he searches for 'Embedded' and gets nix; so he tries "library" and 
gets nix; then he tries "libglib"
and gets a whole slew of confusing tiddley-poms which make him utter 
unprintably coarse words.

Of course when Richmond installs other Linux software, either via 
apt-get through the Terminal, via
Synaptic, via Ubuntu Tweak or the Ubuntu Software Center he finds that 
he gets little notices telling
him which dependencies are required, whether they will be installed 
automatically, and so on.

> Feature Requires
> Alpha-blended window shapes A 'composited' window
> manager (e.g. 'Advance Desktop
> Effects' turned on in Ubuntu 7)
> Complex Unicode scripts Pango
> Text rendering using anti-aliased TrueType fonts Xft
> Native file open and save dialogs GTK
> Native print and page setup dialogs GTK
> Video playback mplayer
> Audio playback esd
>
>

"Witty" messages from Richmond's Terminal:

"couldn't find package pango"; because all the components for pango have 
'funny' names
that, generally, involve 'pango' as part of them.

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Now, I know that I have 'glibc' and 'pango' installed; but not thanks to 
RunRev or its documentation;
mainly because they were installed as a standard part of Ubuntu 10.04 
(just spend yonks trawling
through the Ubuntu documentation).

Several .deb packages have tried to install glibc and pango again; 
because those .deb packages
are set up by people who want their end-users to get on with using their 
apps without having
buckets of specialist knowledge in the underpinnings of 
Debian-derivative distros.

When I install anything on Mac, Windows or Ubuntu I expect it to just 
install without my having
to get in a twist and go on a wild goose chase after fiddly-little 
dependencies; most Linux app
people seem to know that and have taken pains to ensure that when their 
software is installed
the number of 'nasty surprises' are minimised.

I am aware that RunRev is dependent on QuickTime on Mac and Win; 
something I have suggested might
be removed in future several times.