Script for easy MP3, DVD, nVidia, ATI, Java support

[Brandon Hutchinson]

Hello,

I put together a script to make my life easier when installing MP3 support,
DVD support, nVidia drivers, and other "forbidden
items" (http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/ForbiddenItems) on Fedora Core 5.

I call it "Fedora Helper." If you'd like to give it a try, the script is
available here:
http://brandonhutchinson.com/Fedora_Helper.html

The script is loosely based on Fedora Frog, a script I first heard mention of
in a fedora-devel-list thread a few weeks ago:
http://easylinux.info/wiki/Fedora_frog

I encourage you to try Fedora Frog to see if that script meets your needs.

Many of the features of the Fedora Helper script require the Livna
 repository. If you are using RPMForge repositories, you will not be able to
 use the script for some of its features, such as nVidia drivers, ATI
 drivers, MP3 support, and DVD support.

Features:

* Prompts to install "zenity" (gnome-utils RPM and its dependency,
gnome-panel) if it is not already installed. zenity provides the GUI
front-end for the script.

* Prompts to install Livna support for options requiring it (e.g. nVidia
drivers, ATI drivers, MP3 support, DVD support).

* Forbids RPMForge and Livna repository mixing. If RPMForge repositories
 (i.e. Dag, Dries, FreshRPMs) are detected, and the user selects an option
 requiring Livna support, the script will exit with an informative error
 message. The user may still use the script to install non-Livna software
 (e.g. JRE, LimeWire).

* When selecting "MP3 Support," script attempts to detect all currently
installed MP3-related applications (e.g. amaroK, xmms) and install the
packages needed for MP3 support (e.g. gstreamer-plugins-ugly for Rhythmbox,
xmms-mp3 for xmms).

* When selecting "DVD Support," script attempts to detect all currently
installed DVD-related applications (e.g. Totem) and install the packages
needed for MP3 support (e.g. libdvdcss for MPlayer).

* Can download and install the latest version of Win32codecs from
www.mplayerhq.hu.

* Can install nVidia drivers. User is notified if nVidia drivers were
installed for a different kernel than the one the user is currently running.

* Can install ATI drivers. User is notified if ATI drivers were installed for
a different kernel than the one the user is currently running.

* Can install Adobe Acrobat 7.0.5 along with its Mozilla plug-in.

* Can install Macromedia Flash Player 7 along with its Mozilla plug-in.

* Can install Java Runtime Environment Version 5.0 Update 6 along with its
Mozilla plug-in. If /opt is a separate physical partition, JRE is installed
in /opt. Otherwise, it is installed in /usr/local. JRE is then selected as
the main program to provide "java" using /usr/sbin/alternatives.

* Can install LimeWire. If /opt is a separate physical partition, it is
installed in /opt. Otherwise, it is installed in /usr/local. A
"/usr/bin/limewire" script is created to run LimeWire from the appropriate
location.

* Can install RealPlayer 10 along with its Mozilla plug-ins.

* Does its best to not waste bandwidth. For example, the script will not let
you continually download and install the large Win32codecs package. In
theory, if you selected every option multiple times, the script should inform
you that the selections are already installed.

I may have some of the associations wrong in "MP3 Support" and "DVD Support";
I'm by no means a FC multimedia expert.

If you have any questions, comments, or feature suggestions with the script,
please let me know, preferably in a private email.

Use the script at your own risk. I wrote it for personal use, but would be
happy to continue developing it if others find it useful. I can't guarantee
it won't destroy your system :)

Best regards,

Brandon