[Newbies] Beginner's List Question

[Andreas Wacknitz]

> Am 25.01.2015 um 23:44 schrieb Bert Freudenberg <bert at freudenbergs.de>:
> 
> On 25.01.2015, at 09:21, Tim Retz <human.shield.117 at gmail.com <mailto:human.shield.117 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> if you use Linux, it's the user's responsibility to know (or figure out) how to get a piece of software working.
>> 
> If we claim that we support Linux, then we should help any user trying to get it to run.
You cannot claim to support Linux because Linux is not an operating system but only an operating system kernel.
What you can support is Linux distributions. Every Linux distribution is free to combine the Linux kernel
with a multitude of libraries and applications to form an operating system.
In order to support a Linux distribution you need to compile the VM against the library versions that the distribution uses.
With a little luck later releases are backwards compatible and can run a VM that is built against an older version.
The other direction is possible only with a lot of luck. The good thing about the Squeak VM is that it depends only on very few
libraries so the possibility is high that none of the version change from (distribution) version to the next.
You need a lot more luck if you try to run a Squeak VM on a Linux distribution A that is built on Linux distribution B.
The problems that are reported from time to time are just the tip of the iceberg. Probably because only a few Linux users try to run Squeak.
Real support for Linux (distributions) would be a lot of work: build and test the VM for a multitude of Linux distributions (there are hundreds if not thousands of them)
and for many versions of each. Every variation of involved library in any involved (incompatible) version.

Andreas
> 
> Also, Squeak *is* different from most other software. Not necessarily harder to run, but different enough to warrant some hand-holding for newbies.
> 
>> On Jan 24, 2015 11:00 PM, "Kirk Fraser" <overcomer.man at gmail.com <mailto:overcomer.man at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> Bert says there are easy to follow instructions to do it.
> 
> I actually said that there should be "easy to follow instructions" and was hoping for someone to provide them.
> 
> You’re very right that we need these.
> 
> - Bert -
> 
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