Installation Woes...

[Robert Rapplean]

Hello, there.  I've been trying to install GNUCash, and I have a few
installation issues that I thought you should address.

Problem #1:
You rely on numerous other packages for your program to run.  I think
the number is ten, but I am unclear about which ones I need to install
to get anything out of your package, and which ones I need for specific
functionality.

It is inevitable that you will get out of sync with some of these, in
which case you are screwed.  As Linus pointed out to me, GNUCash
requires the second-to-latest version of Guile, not the latest version.
I haven't gotten much further than that, for reasons I'll get to in a
moment.

Problem #2:
SLIB doesn't have an install for Guile.  In order to effectively build
SLIB, you need to create a custom configuration file.  This is WAY
beyond the capabilities of about 99% of Quicken users.  Yes, they
include a template for creating this, but I got stopped dead when they
asked me for the directory "where any auxilliary files to your Scheme
implementation reside".  What, exactly, is a Scheme auxilliary file, and
why do I need to know this to run GNUCash?  I'll probably be mentioning
this to the SLIB and Guile folks, too.

You have an excellent install (for Linux, anyway), but you have set
yourself up as part of a chain, and the other links are much weaker.
Here are a few suggestions for shoring up the rest of the chain:

1. When listing other packages, be certain to specify which version of
the other packages your program requires.
2. Store a local copy of all installations that are necessary to install
and run your program.  Don't just link to it - linking to someone else's
site will screw you up every time.
3. Even better, work with the packages that you depend on to create
smooth installs for them, too, or just make a point to include them in
YOUR install.
4. Mindwipe a machine, install Linux on it freshly and document,
keystroke by keystroke, everything that is necessary to install your
product.  If you think this is too much trouble, imagine the fun that
I'm having.
5. Create a Guile.init file for SLIB.  Give it to the Guile folks and
the SLIB folks.  Post it on your page.  Let the people who visit your
page know that it is needed.

I hope this helps.  If I ever get past my Guile problems, I'll let you
know what else I run into.

Best,

Robert Rapplean
Mythological Beast


Suggestion: On your Toolkits Needed



Problem #2: