Lynn David Newton wrote: > kg> If it were me, I would put something newer than > kg> redhat 8 (which has long since been end-of-lifed > kg> by redhat) on the machine. > >Of course that's the ideal solution, and probably the >source of many of my problems, but I'm not in a >position to do that. The system in question is my >*only* Linux system, and I use it all day every day to >make my living on. If I try to install a new version on >the system and it fails to come up properly I will >effectively instantly unemploy myself. > >QUESTION 1: What are the chances that installing *any* > Linux distro on this system will go as smooth > as glass and allow me to get right back to > work? > >ANSWER 1: 99.999% likely to fail. > > > It depends on what you're going from/to. I just upgraded from RH9 to Fedora Core2 on my development server, absolutely no hitches. My RH9 server was just a stock install with patches though. It just depends. I would recommend the following: Either -> go buy an external USB drive, make a complete backup of anything important (just back up the whole thing to an image). Or ->buy a new drive, make your existing drive a slave, and install the new distro on the fresh drive. In a pinch you can use chroot to run things from the old drive. Just an idea. >QUESTION 2: What are the chances that installing *any* > Linux distro on this system with the > assistance of people at an Installfest will go > as smooth as glass and allow me to get right > back to work? > >ANSWER 2: 99.991% likely to fail. > > > Wow, you're a pessimistic fellow :) I'd be willing to help you personally to get it done. >Those odds aren't good enough. > > > Your odds are based on speculation. >Nonetheless, it's been my hope to install a new version >as soon as possible, probably by means of an >Installfest. Regretably, I am unable to get to one this >weekend. I'm targeting the one next month, and hope by >that time I will have archived everything important, >and made a list of all the other stuff I need to >install and/or re-configure. > > > I've never been to an installfest.. my schedule is always too limited :( Im sure other people on this list would be as willing to help you through it as I am with or without the installfest. >Traditionally, whenever I do an OS upgrade, the pieces >don't stop rolling for a couple of weeks. > > kg> by the time you fiddle around with getting the > kg> correct libraries on that machine in rh8, you > kg> will have probably spent the same amount of time > kg> it will have taken to back up your data, install > kg> a newer linux, restore your data. > > > That happens. I typically install apt for redhat, set it up, and simply do apt-get install ... for whatever I left out. >Not to mention the tons of other stuff I have on this >system that has been installed over the last couple of >years. > > kg> you might look into one of the distros which > kg> don't require that type of update, like gentoo or > kg> debian. you will be much happier in the end, with > kg> an easier to maintain system. > > > Great argument for a second drive. Then you could leave it alone until you're done. >I was planning on Debian. Not real familiar with >GenToo, other than I've heard positive things about it >from technically savy people. > > > I love Debian, but the installer still sucks. If they could install the hardware detection from Knoppix/whatever I wouldn't hesitate to load Debian. I ended up loading my old laptop with fedora core2, and then installing apt for redhat on it. > >> > >> Greetings, > >> > >> I've been out of town and not watching the list, so > >> maybe this has been discussed recently, but ... > >> > >> I just downloaded the FireFox 1.0PR bundle, unwrapped > >> it, tried to install it, and as it tried to unwind it > >> spit out the message: > >> > >> Fatal error [-618]: Couldn't open xpistub library > >> > >> In fact, I do have four different iterations of > >> libxpistub.so on my sytem: > >> > >> /usr/lib/mozilla-1.0.1/libxpistub.so > >> /usr/local/mozilla/libxpistub.so > >> /usr/local/netscape/libxpistub.so > >> /usr/local/mozilla1.2.1/libxpistub.so > >> > >> but not what the installer is looking for. > >> > >> I'm trying to install this on a Red Hat 8.0 system, > >> which is getting increasingly difficult to maintain. > >> > >> There's no readme, no instructions of any kind, etc. > >> > >> Just like the old days. Here I thought the days of > >> supposedly high quality projects delivering things that > >> are broken from the get-go or missing important pieces > >> were mostly behind us. Apparently not. > >> > >> So ... does someone have a clue what I should do next? > > > Definately time to upgrade :( JD -- JD Austin Twin Geckos Technology Services LLC email: jd@twingeckos.com http://www.twingeckos.com phone/fax: 480.344.2640 --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss