A new definition of libraries (was: Linux Installation)

[Bob Warren]

Mark Smith wrote:
 >
Bob, I think you may be getting hung up on the face-value meaning of
the word 'standalone'
-------------------------------------
Thanks Mark. You might well be right. And indeed I might be making a 
fundamental mistake somewhere. However, according to my definition, a 
Rev "standalone" might belong in Category 2 (with "constant" libraries), 
or it might fall into category 3 (i.e. a "non-standalone" using 
"variable" libraries) according to your definition. Is my idea of Rev 
standalones different to what you have said? Well, yes, if we also count 
"external" libraries such as the one you mentioned (e.g. Quicktime which 
is NOT part of the OS). I wasn't discussing libraries that were not part 
of the OS. The question that still remains for me (ignoring "external" 
libraries) is whether Rev standalones ever really fall into Category 3.

The problem in all of this is that if I adopt what might well represent 
a "safe" policy in terms of distribution and I presume that all Rev apps 
should safely be put into Category 3 (non-standalones), then I am 
condemned to not only having to establish which libraries my application 
needs in every Linux distro, but also providing an "installation" or 
"setup" to take care of this. At the moment, this seems to be impossible 
in Linux (at least in practical terms). And in the last analysis, it 
might not (always or ever?) be strictly necessary.


Mark Smith wrote:
 >
Which category a Rev standalone belongs in is a question of what it's
been designed to do.
------------------------------------
I think I might have answered that above, Mark. Let's stick to original 
OS libraries and forget libraries which are introduced through some 
other subsequent installation process by non-OS software. Also, to avoid 
further confusion, I suggest we stick to Linux.

Mark Smith wrote:
 >
There have also been many discussions on this list about the fact
that many ISP/Hosting services fail to run Rev CGIs because they
haven't installed a particular library.
------------------------------------
Ken Ray mentioned something similar at the beginning of the "Linux 
Installation" thread. Naturally, my discussion is not about such 
exceptional cases.

Although general advice is helpful, it does not solve my problem. I have 
produced a Rev app which (for the sake of argument) does not write/read 
its own files to/from the HD and does not require stuff like Quicktime. 
It runs perfectly on my Ubuntu. How do I know whether it will run on the 
other 199 Linux distros in a similar fashion? Install all the known 
Linuxes and try it out?

At this point, I have the intuitive feeling that Mr Ken Ray (who has 
been very quiet for quite a long time now on this particular issue) will 
zoom in and tell us all what's what - "QED" fashion. We'll see whether 
or not my intuitions betray me.

Regards,
Bob