-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Celejar wrote: > On Fri, 16 Mar 2007 20:50:41 +0100 > Joe Hart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > [snip] > >> You want vi? change /etc/prefereces/editor to symlink vi and then visudo > > '/etc/alternatives'
Oops. I don't use it so I don't know it's name. Sorry about that. > >> will run vi. >> >> I suppose one should use update-preferences to do that, but that's one > > 'update-alternatives' > >> of the "tools" that hide how things really work. Just like editing the >> /etc/network/interfaces compared to running a tool to edit it for you. >> >> Again, one of the reasons I switched to Debian is so I didn't have all >> these fancy little tools. Everything is stored in text files that can >> be edited with one's favorite editor. That's the way it is, and that's >> the way it should stay. > > I disagree with you about using update-alternatives. That is the > 'official' way of manipulating the alt. system. The README in /etc/alt. > sends you to the update-alt manpage, and update-alt does more than just > manipulating that one symlink. For example (from the manpage): > >> It is often useful for a number of alternatives to be synchronised, so >> that they are changed as a group; for example, when several versions >> of >> the vi(1) editor are installed, the man page referenced >> by >> /usr/share/man/man1/vi.1 should correspond to the executable >> referenced >> by /usr/bin/vi. update-alternatives handles this by means of >> master >> and slave links; when the master is changed, any associated slaves >> are >> changed too. A master link and its associated slaves make up a >> link >> group. >> >> Each link group is, at any given time, in one of two modes: >> automatic >> or manual. When a group is in automatic mode, the alternatives >> system >> will automatically decide, as packages are installed and >> removed, >> whether and how to update the links. In manual mode, the >> alternatives >> system will not change the links; it will leave all the decisions >> to >> the system administrator. >> >> Link groups are in automatic mode when they are first introduced to >> the >> system. If the system administrator makes changes to the >> system’s >> automatic settings, this will be noticed the next time >> update-alterna‐ >> tives is run on the changed link’s group, and the group will >> automati‐ >> cally be switched to manual mode. > > Also: > >> Since the activities of update-alternatives are quite involved, some >> specific terms will help to explain its operation. > That may be true for some things, but IMO, not for everything. Earlier today I was helping someone install GNU/Linux to replace their Windows XP, and they needed the latest java (1.6.0) and it wasn't available as a package (that I could find), so rather than wiping out the java that was installed on the system (I had previously installed sun-java6-jre), I simply downloaded the jre from sun and installed it to /usr/local/bin, then changed the symlink /etc/alternatives/java to point to it. I figured that way, if the java package ever updates, it will fix that link and use the updated version. Perhaps I went about it the wrong way, but it worked. I don't really know if apt will overwrite my link or not when the time comes. I guess time will tell. She'll come running to me when it breaks. I'm still a bit new to Debian, so I don't always do things the "recommended" way. I am learning. Celejar, let me ask you this, is it better to edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf by hand to implement necessary changes or should one use dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg exclusively to build that file? What is the point of having all info stored in plain text files if one is supposed to only use tools to edit them? They might as well be binary. Or is it perhaps so other tools can easily read them? Regards, Joe - -- Registerd Linux user #443289 at http://counter.li.org/ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFF+wJEiXBCVWpc5J4RAoGfAJ0eIlcfDR2oVpcy3yfyVKPxaHLUCACgtOvq 1A7C4PpHha8PFV2pAFs1Lk0= =h9hi -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
