updrading/uninstalling linux software?

[Alex]

i just downloaded the new open office software and my madrake 9.1 came with an older version preinstalled so how would i go about uninstalling it so that i can install the new version? or do i just install over it?

also, i heard some mandrake updates are available? how can i upgrade my os? thx

sorry if these are stupid i only use linux for programming assignments at uni...

 

[cleverhandle]

Check out your menus. There should be entries in there somewhere for software upgrades and removal. You might have to dig a bit though. You will definitely want to uninstall the old OO before installing the new one, assuming that the new OO is not an official Mandrake RPM. Official packages from the vendor should be set up in such a way that upgrades are recognized as such. But if you mix in packages from other sources, you need to handle the details yourself.

 

[Alex]

k.... this is why windows is easy.... hehe

 

[cleverhandle]

Lots of things are easier when you have no choices.

And if you think about it for a minute, it makes sense. The OO people don't know what kind of system you're installing on - they don't know how the packages are named, where the files are located, what kind of menu entries and auxilliary files are required. So they can't really detect and cleanly execute an upgrade.

 

[civad]

a. log in as root
b. type 'drakconf' in terminal window
c. else try 'rpmdrake'
d. You will have an option to uninstall/upgrade packages in either of these.

Make sure you log out as root once you are done!

 

[Alex]

thx i managed that
so a package is just a program pretty much?

 

[cleverhandle]

Originally posted by: franguinho
so a package is just a program pretty much?

If you want to be picky, you should say that programs are a subset of packages. Not every package provides an executable - some provide libraries, support files, and other things you probably wouldn't call a "program."

But basically, yeah...

 

[Alex]

k...