Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] BDI Installs, EMC/Gecko/Parallel Port interface

Good, your getting there. I said you'd get confused by 'root' - we're used
to the base directory of the windows or dos system being referred to as root
but, for some reason, unix refers to the administrative user of the system
as 'root' which is what you probably logged in as. So, because of this, the
directory 'owned' by the administrator is also called 'root' directory (same
as, if you created a user called 'alan', you will find a directory called
'alan' in /usr/local or somewhere close.
So, because the 'root' directory is really the home directory (or I should
really say 'folder') of the user 'root' it is a sub-directory of the base
'/' (which is colloquially called root also).
As Paul said, linux always has a number of different ways of doing the same
thing and so you can install .rpm packages by using the package manager
direct from the applications menu, by going straight to the CD from the
desktop icon and clicking on the appropriate file, or by using the file
manager (house icon), navigating to the file and clicking on it. You can
also install the rpm file from the command line in a terminal window.
The reason you see so many rpms is that each one is a different program -
many are installed as part of the original setup but there are still plenty
of 'extras' to choose from. Whereas windows is basically one big package
with all the options already there whether you want them or not, Linux is
made up of many smaller part programs which you can choose to install or
not - provided you have the basic kernel (about 800Kb) there together with
any module information files you have chosen to support your hardware, you
can make the rest of the installation as big or lean as you want and it will
still work.

Ian
--
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK
www.iw63.freeserve.co.uk

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Marconett KM6VV" <KM6VV@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 21 July 2001 19:53
Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] BDI Installs, EMC/Gecko/Parallel Port
interface


> Hi Ian,
>
> So that's what the house is for. I'm still wondering why "root" is not
> the root of the file hierarchy. ;>)
>
> I found the CD under it, also there is a CD on the "desktop" that takes
> me to the "CD repository on the BDI CD". And RPM generates BDI RPM's.
> Then I see 100's of .rpm's, looks like one for every file! Not just
> the 4 or so "package" choices seen on the install. Tried ecgs and ecgs
> C++, they installed. Now to figure out WHAT packages I need.
>