On 10/19/2013 04:47 PM, Keith Keller wrote: > On 2013-10-19, Eddie G. O'Connor Jr. <eoconnor25 at gmail.com> wrote: >> >> Also, isn't there a way to download the packages / apps that you want >> directly from the homepage? > > Sure, but this can be time-consuming, not every software package > provides a suitable rpm, and even if they do, you still need to install > the dependencies yourself, because rpm will just tell you they're > missing, not find and install them. You can install rpms with yum and it will do the dependency resolution for you. > A yum repo is more automated and > convenient if one carries the software you want. Many projects have yum repos that you can use to install their software onto CentOS and other RPM-based systems. >> This would >> also allow you to be "selective" and use / install JUST the packages you >> need or want without dealing with changing or messing with your repos. > > You can always be selective about what software packages you install, no > matter how many third-party repositories you use. The challenge with > other repos is that they may provide conflicting packages, but you > should be selective about which repos you install in order to minimize > problems. The usage of 3rd party repositories allows a wealth of additional software that CentOS alone cannot provide. There is nothing wrong with making use of such repos. Just be aware that anyone can create a 3rd-party repository, even Joe blogs down the road, even I have one to share work that I've done packaging software for my own systems and those of my clients, this is both good and bad as it means there is no upper limit to the sources of packages for CentOS, but it also means that there is no lower limit to the quality of the same. Caution is always advised when using a 3rd party repo. Peter