Linux Myth: Installing RPM Updates is a Pain

Once again we are back to pop the balloon of another Linux myth. This one is that Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) is not good to use. For newbies to Linux, packages are software. In other words, the programs one uses like Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird and OpenOffice.org office suite placed in a package for one’s chosen Linux distribution. I have seen several folks mention on various online forums, USENET and web logs that RPM “sucks” or is a pain to use. If one searches the web one can find references to “rpm dependency hell“. In the early days of RPM there were problems with resolving dependencies between packages. This is not necessarily true these days, depending on the GNU/Linux distribution one chooses. But as everyone knows, people get a bad impression and tend to go with that impression from then on. This is what happened with RPM.

My SOHO business uses Mandriva Linux 2008.1, Mandriva is about to have its’ 2009.0 release available, and FreeBSD for our desktops and file/data server respectively. Mandriva is a RPM based distribution. This means the software installation and removal is handled by various RPM tools. Mandriva has created excellent package repositories and front-end tools to handle RPM package installation and removal. These tools are the ‘urpm*’ tools run from a command line interface (CLI) and ‘rpmdrake’ run from a graphical user interface (GUI). In the Mandriva menus ‘rpmdrake’ is called “Install & Remove Software”. That should be user-friendly enough for any honest critic.

One of the main complaints I see goes something like, “I want insert-software version 6.2.982-b-3.543 but my distribution only has insert-software version 6.2.982-s-3.542 available.” Then this person goes into a rant on how they found what they want on some alien RPM distribution of Linux, then tried to install it and it would not install. Or did get it installed by some convoluted means and now the system is FUBAR.

Well, duh. One should stick to using software packages designed for one’s own distribution and release or use a third-party repository that caters to one’s distribution. If back-ports are available then one can use them to get new versions of software. If one truly needs that new version of insert-software and it is not available for one’s distribution in any of these places then one should ask a third party repository, like Penguin Liberation Front (PLF) or Seer of Souls (SoS) for Mandriva, to offer it. The other option is to learn how to package new versions of software for one’s preferred distribution. But, honestly, that is not a typical user activity most people want to learn.

In this myth destroying episode I have created a video of my personal / SOHO business desktop while installing updates with ‘rpmdrake’. I have back-ports and PLF enabled. I have not used SoS lately but would if I needed a new software package they offer. In my opinion the update could not have been smoother with any other package manager. Watch the video and draw your own conclusion. As always your comments are welcome.

OGG Video - Myth, Installing RPM Updates is a Pain
1280×1024 resolution, 110,936,915 bytes, 00:25:28 in length.
Download this video and use a video player capable of OGG Theora format to view it. Microsoft users can get one called KMPlayer also available from www.soft82.com.

Edit Sat Apr 17 10:02:05 CDT 2010: One can view OGV files with VLC Media Player from VideoLAN. The player is available for Linux, Apple and Microsoft operating systems. Mandriva users: instructions for installing VLC are on the VLC media player for Mandriva Linux x86 page. If you got your Mandriva system from us at ERACC then you already have the sources needed and just need to run the ‘urpmi’ command shown or use “Install & Remove Software”.

MP4 Video - Myth, Installing RPM Updates is a Pain
800×600 resolution, 38,925,611 bytes, 00:25:28 in length.
Download this video and use a video player capable of MP4 format to view it.

I chose MP4 over FLV for the alternative 800×600 conversion this time. I hoped the quality would be better converting to MP4, but it is not. I apologize for the poor quality of the MP4. One is likely to have best results by saving these videos locally and running them on one’s local system rather than trying to stream them.

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