[TriLUG] Red Hats Package online package manager thingy (i actually likes it)

[Andrew C. Oliver]

Hi All,

Credit where credit is due.

I decided to lift my boycott of redhat.  Originally I was severely 
annoyed by the insane charge for updates
they had started charging.  I'd always dutifully purchased upgrades in 
support of the tremendous resources
redhat puts into linux development (and I used to own shares....sold 
them before they crashed out ;-) ).
However, I thought the charging for updates to the average joe when even 
Microsoft doesn't was a little
out there.  Initially for the service that was provided...it was. 
 However, I had the opporunity to demo the
new (new = changed since last time I looked at it which could be any 
time in the last 10 years)
online package management tool and I thought it was something quite 
nice.  While I'm not a mega-corporate
user, it does make managing my 2-3 systems easier.  I just go to the 
website and set what and when I want it
to be updated.  

I've decided to subscribe to this service instead of paying for the 
official CDs.  The
one time I ever tried to use their online support (not totally their 
fault I'm not a very good web form type person)
it didn't help much.  Nor, do I really need a pretty kill-the-trees-box 
with the "how to install redhat" book
(I'm not the target user for this I suppose).  So paying for this 
service instead of the CDs makes sense to me.

I suppose the only real complaint I have is their insistant package 
competition with Ximian my personal preference for
GNOME.  It would be nice if it would cooperate and not insist those 
packages be "upgraded" to the redhat versions, or
even offer to grab the latest ximian versions.  That would be a great 
service to me.  I'm probably pushing my luck. :-)

So for now on I'll pay a yearly fee for the online package manager 
thingy (which is cool, I do hope its secure, but it is
cool), stop paying for the enviromentally unfriendly official 
distribution (call me a tree-hugger) and get my updates faster.

So great job redhat on a nifty tool that does save me a little time. 
 Please consider cooperating with Ximian on the Gnome
thing.  

-Andy