Slackware packages questions

BlueSpirit · 06-03-2011, 01:15 AM

Hello,

I have a few questions about the packages found on the default Slackware 13.37 install iso.
I doubt I'll ask about all of them, because I found most of my answers using Google, but I'm still clueless on a few.

1- Let's start with the whole T series, which is the "Tetex" document system.
COuld anyone tell me, from your experience, if tetex is really worth installing, and why?
I know it's mostly to output documents, but... if I'm not a "document maker", i.e. if I don't write myself such documents and have any intentions to do so, would it be still useful for me, or, at least, worth installing it.
Does any of you encountered cases where tetex was useful/essential, for example as a dependency of a program you wanted to use?

2- What about LaTex?

Thanks,

Cordially,

BlueSpirit

P.S. I hate installing packages that I won't use or are unknown/useless to me. This is not because I am restricted in disk storage, but because I want to know what I'm installing on my linux system. I'm sure some of you already had this feeling :-]

anon135 · 06-03-2011, 01:50 AM

well, you'll still be able to install them after. never used it and never saw dependencies or so. if it's not [REC] anyway...

ponce · 06-03-2011, 02:02 AM

also if you don't use latex yourself, some software projects release their documentation in latex form, so you surely need that to build those packages (ffmpeg is an example, but there are many others).

BlueSpirit · 06-03-2011, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponce

also if you don't use latex yourself, some software projects release their documentation in latex form, so you surely need that to build those packages (ffmpeg is an example, but there are many others).

What kind of documentation? The info pages, man pages?
So, teTeX is *needed* for this?

Thanks!

ponce · 06-03-2011, 03:03 PM

no info and man pages, but while building those packages mentioned above fully formatted documentation (manuals and such) in postscript and pdf form is produced by .tex files, and you definitely need tetex for this.

narpath2105 · 06-03-2011, 08:27 PM

Hi folks. Personally from experience using Slackware for a few years now I had initially installed Tetex but never used it. It is still there today and I thought of removing but since HDD space is not an issue I let them be. No harm installing them if there is ever a slight chance in needing it in the future.

BlueSpirit · 06-08-2011, 10:40 PM

Thanks alot for your relplies.
I'd have some more questions.

What about RDF libs and tools?
This inter-dependent group is part of slackware packages:

Code:

raptor
rasqal
redland
shared-desktop-ontologies
soprano

Have you guys thsee necessary/useful in some cases, from your experience? Why RDF on a desktop anyway, isn't RDF used for web resources, i.e. more server use?

Thanks!

Cordially,

BlueSpirit

ponce · 06-09-2011, 12:04 AM

kde uses them; raptor is used by subversion and compiz...
you can check yourself on Tomas' blog.

ruario · 06-09-2011, 01:39 AM

@ponce: Thanks that is a pretty nice link! Do you know how he created this? Was it fully automated or is it hand tweaked for dependencies you can't easily find via stuff like ldd?

ponce · 06-09-2011, 03:32 AM

I found it on his blog: he hasn't dived much into his script internals, but you can try asking him

btw, I benefited also of Stefano's depslack in the past.
Maybe you can have a look at his requiredbuilder too

sahko · 06-09-2011, 07:32 AM

raptor, rasqal and redland are also used by libreoffice in case you install that.

BlueSpirit · 06-12-2011, 02:51 AM

Guys, can you tell me what's the purpose of RDF solution in such applications, i.e. desktop applications?
I thought RDF was for web resources, so more for server use than desktop use.

Why desktop applications use it? Storing settings?

Thanks!

ponce · 06-12-2011, 04:18 AM

have a look at the wikipedia page for soprano.