Darell McCauley writes:
as a general trend (especially with linux users, and now
with solaris users), I see people more and more wanting binary versions.
What's wrong with getting the source code and compiling it?
Do people generally find the process too cumbersome or daunting?
I'm genuinely curious.
I'll try and answer these questions for my personal situation, and
perhaps others will be able to add to this. I am indeed daunted by
the prospect of having to compile grass myself (rightly or wrongly),
for the following reasons:
- compilation has traditionally been the turf of the technician/system
manager. As a simple user, I do not have the experience nor the super-
visor authority to feel that I am up to the task.
- though the installation manual may be quite clear, in my experience
something always goes wrong. While a systems manager may then know
what to do and where to look, I wouldn't.
- the default compilation gets you only the main and alpha stuff. If I
want to use all the fine contributed software (for instance your own
s.univar stuff) I have to compile this separately. So it's not like
the compilation will take me one day and then I can get on with my
real job - I have to keep on the lookout for missing parts, get the
source, and compile it.
Re your other questions:
- The compilation process has gotten much easier over the past
4 or 5 years - most things (everything?) in the src/ dir
compiles without a hitch/warning. Is the process too difficult?
Are there too many steps involved?
I don't think it is difficult per se. It's just the prospect of
difficulties to come when the compilation process DOES go wrong...
- With increased speeds of workstations,
compilation time has decreased by at least 50% (probably more,
but then grass has increased in size). Is time a problem?
No.
- With the availability of gcc, compiler availability is
*not* a problem.
This is an example of what daunts someone like me: to find that `you
do not have the right compiler' or even no compiler at all. Even
supposing that I knew exactly what it is that a compiler does, I
would be forced to somehow `get' gcc and install it before I could
even start compiling grass... I simply have no idea what I'm getting
into.
- There's a step-by-step document on "how-to" for those
unfamiliar with the process. Is the documentation difficult
to understand?
No.
Are there suggestions for making the process easier?
Well, I'm probably going to compile grass for Solaris 2.3 in a few days,
so I'll keep a log of any problems and suggestions.
--Darrell
Martijn van Leusen
P.M.van-Leusen@bham.ac.uk