Hello. I've been using Fedora since about the FC6 era, for home use. I don't like the 6 month upgrade (or re-install) concept, and I don't need the latest & greatest versions of apps. So, CentOS sounds enticing.
But, I have some questions. I found 2 centos websites (primary and wiki), and checked the forum - but couldn't find answers to these concerns.
Is CentOS basically like Fedora? (Well, except for the updates every 6 months!) As in 'look & feel', underlying operations, etc. (Btw, I know about removing upstream branding.)
Any caveats? Meaning, does it use the same repositories that Fedora does? Are there any major or significant differences?
I should just go for the most recent package (5.2) - yes? About how old are the apps? (A few months?)
How are application updates handled? 5.2 has firefox-3.0-0.beta5.6.el5. I saw (on the Firefox website) that 3.0.6 is out. Will an app update get that version, or something just a bit older? (btw, I know about backporting.)
Does centos use Plymouth? I have a somewhat recent computer (about 3 years old) that has an intel chipset (which Plymouth can't handle yet, and so it needs xdriver=vesa during install).
Michael, in Pennsylvania (USA)
On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 10:32:42PM -0500, Michael Klinosky wrote:
Is CentOS basically like Fedora? (Well, except for the updates every 6 months!) As in 'look & feel', underlying operations, etc. (Btw, I know about removing upstream branding.)
Very basically. CentOS/RHEL 5 is loosely based on Fedora Core 6, just as CentOS/RHEL4 is loosely based on FC3.
I say loosely because RHEL 6 wasn't based on FC9, and if I am understanding things correctly, won't be based on FC10 either.
Any caveats? Meaning, does it use the same repositories that Fedora does? Are there any major or significant differences?
CentOS/RHEL is built for stability, meaning what they ship is what you get. You will see bug and security fixes for the applications merged in, but (broadly generally speaking) no new features.
The exception to this is device drivers and support; new devices are added to the kernel stream and to the xorg X display engine during each minor release (ie 5.1 to 5.2).
As far as repositories go, there are several RHEL/CentOS friendly repositories such as RPMforge. RedHat has one of their own too. Do some research before connecting, they are not always compatible with each other. My preference is for RPMforge, but that's purely based on the fact that I've found enough things in RPMforge that I want.
Beyond that, you can *usually* make your own installable RPMs from SRPMs for things that worked with FC6, and you can even resort to building from source code although that gets you away from nice RPM management. Remember, the further you stray from the stock distribution, the more you get into "you get to keep all the pieces when it breaks" level support.
I should just go for the most recent package (5.2) - yes? About how old are the apps? (A few months?)
If you were happy with FC6, then yes you want CentOS 5.x. The apps are all not-quite-as-old-as FC6 versions were, but bugfix and security patches are merged in. CentOS 4.x has FC3-vintage applications.
The best practice is to do a minimal install from CD or DVD, then immediately do a 'yum update', then 'yum install' the extra pieces you need. (Why? Because if there is a pending update to something you are wanting to use, there's no point installing it from DVD since you will end up downloading it anyways.)
How are application updates handled? 5.2 has firefox-3.0-0.beta5.6.el5. I saw (on the Firefox website) that 3.0.6 is out. Will an app update get that version, or something just a bit older? (btw, I know about backporting.)
Nope, CentOS 5 will probably have Firefox 3.0-0 for its lifetime. If you want something newer, you can probably retro-fit it yourself. If you need something newer, the stability of CentOS is probably not what you really want. Applications will not be generally refreshed until RHEL/CentOS 6.
Does centos use Plymouth? I have a somewhat recent computer (about 3 years old) that has an intel chipset (which Plymouth can't handle yet, and so it needs xdriver=vesa during install).
I don't know. If FC6 could handle it, CentOS 5 can probably handle it. Always use the latest DVD/CD image to do your initial install from, that gives you the best chance of hardware compatibility.
David.Mackintosh@xdroop.com wrote:
Nope, CentOS 5 will probably have Firefox 3.0-0 for its lifetime. If you want something newer, you can probably retro-fit it yourself. If you need something newer, the stability of CentOS is probably not what you really want. Applications will not be generally refreshed until RHEL/CentOS 6.
5.2 has FireFox 3.0.5 (maybe has 3.0.6, I haven't done a yum update in awhile) and started with Firefox 1.5 in CentOS 5.0
RHEL made an exception w/ FireFox and updates - and it was justifiable.
Michael A. Peters wrote:
5.2 has FireFox 3.0.5 (maybe has 3.0.6, I haven't done a yum update in awhile) and started with Firefox 1.5 in CentOS 5.0
http://centos.org/docs/5/html/5.2/Package_Manifest/ar01s03.html states 'firefox-3.0-0.beta5.6.el5'. Are you saying that yum will bump it to at least 3.0.5?
RHEL made an exception w/ FireFox and updates - and it was justifiable.
I can agree with that! I see that they jumped over version 2 entirely.
**
It sounds nice so far. Ned stated that there's a mix of vintages (some mature, others are quite new).
And, I'll certainly check the LiveCD (I've used Fedora's).
On Sat, 2009-02-21 at 07:02 -0500, Michael Klinosky wrote:
Michael A. Peters wrote:
5.2 has FireFox 3.0.5 (maybe has 3.0.6, I haven't done a yum update in awhile) and started with Firefox 1.5 in CentOS 5.0
http://centos.org/docs/5/html/5.2/Package_Manifest/ar01s03.html states 'firefox-3.0-0.beta5.6.el5'. Are you saying that yum will bump it to at least 3.0.5?
"Box stock 5.0" originally, fully updated with nothing more than yum.
$ yum list firefox Loaded plugins: allowdowngrade, changelog, downloadonly, fastestmirror, : fedorakmod, kernel-module, priorities, tsflags, versionlock Reading version lock configuration 413 packages excluded due to repository priority protections Installed Packages firefox.i386 3.0.6-1.el5.centos installed $
<snip>
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 11:01 AM, Michael Klinosky mpk2@enter.net wrote:
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
Hmmm. I answered your question about Multimedia, before I read it. :-) I am listening on Streamaudio.com to KEAG-FM in Anchorage, using the mplayer plugin for Mozilla Firefox as I write this.
On Sat, Feb 21, 2009 at 11:01 AM, Michael Klinosky mpk2@enter.net wrote:
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
Follow on: You can get Google's Picasa for Linux. My wife uses it on M$ Windows. I had her help me with it one day and she had no idea she wasn't using Picasa on Windows. She said it is the same. The only thing I haven't gotten to work yet (I need to return to that problem and spend time with it until I solve it!) is microphone output, when using Skype on Linux. That's apparently a setting somewhere in Linux. Many others on this list have Skype on Linux running properly. I also have Google Earth running on Linux. Works well. Recently, we got a Digital Camcorder. The kino video editor is quite easy to use. There is another one that has a long learning curve, but it is extremely powerful: cinelerra HTH
At Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:01:58 -0500 CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
Adobe has a repository for Linux RPMs (acrobat reader, flash player, etc.).
mplayer is in the RPMForge repository.
lame & related packages (MP3) are in the RPMForge repository.
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On
Behalf
Of Robert Heller Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 5:41 PM To: CentOS mailing list Cc: CentOS mailing list Subject: Re: [CentOS] new user - with questions
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
Adobe has a repository for Linux RPMs (acrobat reader, flash player, etc.).
What software from Adobe does actually work with CentOS and/or linux in general except for Adobe Reader and Flash-player? I've tried installing Shockwave-player, but it's not supported.
-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On
Behalf
Of Michael Klinosky Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 5:02 PM To: CentOS mailing list Subject: Re: [CentOS] new user - with questions
What is the situation with multi-media additions (e.g. SWflash, mpeg)? Do the repositories have decoders and such?
For that stuff, I think rpmforge is a good place to start.
http://dag.wieers.com/rpm/FAQ.php#B2
HTH.
-----Original Message----- From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On Behalf Of Michael Klinosky Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 10:33 PM To: centos maillist Subject: [CentOS] new user - with questions
----
Maybe the best way to determine if CentOS is for you is to download the CentOS 5.2 Live CD Image. Put it into your cd drive and start up your computer. That way you will get a LooK and FeeL of what it is like and some of the associated apps like FireFox. At least that way will give you an actual demonstration of it and you will know for sure if your hardware is compatable also. I believe doing this will answer more of your questions that you are lurking after.
CentOS has its' on repository to get updates for the OS which has mirrors sites also. Addon extra packages can be obtained from other software repos as long as package dependancies are solved. I would advise to stay away from installing from source and sticking to *.rpm packages only, especially since you would be a new user so to speak.
JohnStanley
Michael Klinosky wrote:
Hello. I've been using Fedora since about the FC6 era, for home use. I don't like the 6 month upgrade (or re-install) concept, and I don't need the latest & greatest versions of apps. So, CentOS sounds enticing.
A lot of desktop users come to CentOS for exactly that reason. Stability and long term support are two of the core fundamentals of an enterprise class distro.
But, I have some questions. I found 2 centos websites (primary and wiki), and checked the forum - but couldn't find answers to these concerns.
Is CentOS basically like Fedora? (Well, except for the updates every 6 months!) As in 'look & feel', underlying operations, etc. (Btw, I know about removing upstream branding.)
RHEL 5, and hence CentOS 5, was based off a snapshot around the time of Fedora 6 so if you're familiar with FC6 then you'll feel right at home with CentOS.
Any caveats? Meaning, does it use the same repositories that Fedora does? Are there any major or significant differences?
Best see the Wiki for that:
http://wiki.centos.org/AdditionalResources/Repositories/
Be careful which 3rd party repos you use and always enable/use the priorities plugin.
I should just go for the most recent package (5.2) - yes? About how old are the apps? (A few months?)
Yes. That depends - some are 2 years old (around the time of FC6 and the release) whereas others have been/are updated (eg, Firefox, OpenOffice, Thunderbird).
How are application updates handled? 5.2 has firefox-3.0-0.beta5.6.el5. I saw (on the Firefox website) that 3.0.6 is out. Will an app update get that version, or something just a bit older? (btw, I know about backporting.)
Upstream normally doesn't change the version of apps in the release, but this time around they did update Firefox from 1.5 to 3.0. Presumably they felt it was easier to maintain than to backport fixes into 1.5. Generally, Other than a few selected desktop apps, most stuff will stay at the same version and have fixes backported. It's actually pretty easy to just update stuff like Firefox/Thunderbird and OpenOffice straight from their websites if you do need the very latest versions of these.
Does centos use Plymouth? I have a somewhat recent computer (about 3 years old) that has an intel chipset (which Plymouth can't handle yet, and so it needs xdriver=vesa during install).
No, no Plymouth in CentOS 5 and there never will be. Funny, you're not the first Fedora user I've heard complain about lack of support in Plymouth :-P
On Fri, Feb 20, 2009 at 10:32 PM, Michael Klinosky mpk2@enter.net wrote:
I've been using Fedora since about the FC6 era, for home use. I don't like the 6 month upgrade (or re-install) concept, and I don't need the latest & greatest versions of apps. So, CentOS sounds enticing.
<snip> I want to add several things, to the previous (and excellent) replies. (a) This is an Enterprise Distro, lacking a lot of Multimedia Applications you might have had in FC. Follow this page on the CentOS Wiki: http://wiki.centos.org/TipsAndTricks/MultimediaOnCentOS (b) Install the Priorities Plug in and verify that it works, before you use any 3rd party yum repositories http://wiki.centos.org/PackageManagement/Yum/Priorities (c) Instll the FastestMirror Plug In http://wiki.centos.org/PackageManagement/Yum/FastestMirror This is a super mailing list, with extremely helpful people, including the Developers participating. Welcome!
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David.Mackintosh＠xdroop.com -
John -
Lanny Marcus -
Michael A. Peters -
Michael Klinosky -
Ned Slider -
Robert Heller -
Sorin Srbu -
William L. Maltby