Re: [OT] Gnat cross compiling FreeBSD to Win32 ?

[Stephen Leake <stephen.a.leake.1@gsfc.nasa.gov>]

Preben Randhol <randhol+abuse@pvv.org> writes:

> On 14 May 2002 12:55:09 -0400, Stephen Leake wrote:
> > Well, I want a _stable_ system, not a _testing_ system. Windows NT is
> > a _stable_ system.
> 
> Debian testing is _stable_ now. I've been using it for 1 year.

Well, apparently "the Debian committee", whoever that is, disagrees
with you; the name is still "testing"!

> > for my taste. The binary install from ACT was much simpler, just
> > not quite as simple as the Windows version.
> 
> Though it may be simple, you must still recompile all your libraries
> like libgtkada asis etc... 

True, but irrelevant. Are you implying that 'apt-get install gnat'
will also update gtkada? I hope not!

> > Neither apt-get nor dselect is as 'user-friendly' as Install
> > Shield when it comes to customizing an installation.
> 
> Please explain.

Well, when was the last time you used Install Shield? On a good
package, it gives you choices about where to install it, which
optional sub-packages to install, which language to use, which help
file formats to install, etc.

Debian apt-get gives no choice for any of these.

> > I'll stick to Debian stable, thank you!
> 
> Well Testing will catch up with you in short time. Actually it was
> sceduled for release 1 May, but was delayed.

Ok, I'll get it when it comes out.

> > Ok. So I have to remember "apt-get" instead of "dselect". And I'm
> 
> If you have such a bad memory I'm surprised you manage to code in the
> first place. ;-) I don't buy it. But then use gnome-apt or some other
> graphical frontend. 

Ok. That was my point; in Windows, you have a standard graphical front
end that makes it fairly easy to find things that you want to install;
just look in your "downloads" directory, and select the file you want.
If I use command-line 'apt-get', there is no such list. If you had
started this by saying "use gnome-apt", rather than by saying "use
apt-get", I'd be more sympathetic.

> Sorry but I have dealt with Debian and windows for years now and
> Debian proves time and time again to be much more easy.

I agree; for the work I really want to do, Debian is better. For
installing packages like Myst and Quicken, Windows (more precisely
Install Shield) is better (and not just because they don't exist for
Linux!).

> When I got my new laptop at work I had a Debian system up and
> running with *all* packages I had on my desktop system in 55 min and
> *one* reboot. Installing Windows took 3 hours (mainly due to network
> driver problems) and then I had to start installing the software
> which took about 5 hours and I guess about 15-20 reboots.

Did you end up with the _same_ set of application software on each
system? I suspect not! 

You also got lucky with Debian; there are far more network driver
cards supported by Windows than by Debian.

-- 
-- Stephe