Newbie questions about PLD Linux

[Jacek Konieczny]

On Wed, Mar 12, 2003 at 10:14:00PM +0200, Riku Nurkka wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> The concept of PLD Linux seems quite interesting to me, so I might be
> interested to download and try it. However, I'm not an experienced Linux
> user yet, so can I ask some basic questions about PLD LInux first?
> 
> 1. Automatic hardware detection? Is there any and, if not, will there be
> (something like what, for example, Knoppix has done quite nicely)?
No, there is not much automatic hardware detection, but the installer
can choose proper nework card driver. And some of software packages 
included in the distribution do or can do automatic hardware detection 
(pcmcia-cs, XFree, etc.)

> 2. Are there any sort of GUI-based configuration tools? Or is all of the
> configuration done by hand editing configuration files?
Most of configuration is done by hand, but some software has its own
graphical configurators.

> By the way, why is not a link to the other PLD site: http://pld-linux.org/
> mentioned on the official PLD pages: http://www.pld.org.pl/? There seems to
> be much helpful information already on the site mentioned first that is
> missing still from the official site http://www.pld.org.pl/.
Admin of the official site don't like the admin of
http://pld-linux.org/. This is no good, but true :-(

> 4. Updating PLD Linux? I'd like to read more especially about Apt, Poldek
> etc. So some kind of basic guide to updating and installing software. 

poldek is our own rpm "add-on". It automates most of common use of
rpm package manager and gives nice command-line-driven interface to rpm.

For example, if you want to install mozilla, you just start poldek and
give one command:

# poldek
poldek> install mozilla

All required packages will be installed/upgraded.

To upgrade all of your installed packages you do:

# poldek
poldek> upgrade *


Poldek has many usefull features, like history and command completion.
You can list available, installed or upgradable packages, get info about
specific package or search package database.

Poldek may be used with other rpm-based distributions too.


> Could
> I, for example, use Synaptic as a GUI interface when updating and installing
> software in PLD Linux?
I don't know Synaptic.


> 5. Do you yet have any schedule when you might publish the first official
> vesion of your distribution?
> 
> As far as I know PLD has its 1.0 version already
Yes. There is PLD 1.0, and it is the official release.

> , but it is said anyway, for
> example, in your DistroWatch introduction: "PLD Linux Team hasn't released
> the first official version of the distribution yet. However, for long time,
> we have provided test versions of most packages on our servers and cdroms."
This information is outdated.

> 6. Any other helpful ideas/encouragement/discouragement/tips before I
> download a copy of PLD and give it a try...?
Just try it.

Greets,
	Jacek