i have to *choose* between graphical desktop and S/W dev?

Gregory Maxwell gmaxwell at gmail.com
Mon Mar 15 21:13:14 UTC 2010


On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Robert P. J. Day <rpjday at crashcourse.ca> wrote:
>  i was about to make precisely the same observation -- i don't know a
> single person amongst my linux social circle that would install a
> system that didn't incorporate the graphical desktop *and* the
> standard S/W development tools.

The software development tools is a particular pain point:  I've found
it easier to reinstall a system that missed that option rather than
endure a never-ending battle with missing packages.   "No C compiler?!
wtf?  Okay. Gcc installed. ... C++ doesn't work? argh!"

I can see leaving out the development tools from an embedded /
super-slim install...   But there are a lot of GNU/Linux applications
and instructions that expects the basic toolchains to just be there.
In our quest to make Fedora as easy and friendly as OSX and Windows,
we must take care to not abandon the parts that make it _better_.
Easy access to source and development tools are a powerful advantage,
even for those whom the benefit is mostly theoretical.


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