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README for TDEAlternatives
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------------------------
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TDEAlternatives is a TDE program that a allows you to easily configure and
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change your Mandrake/Debian alternatives system.
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What is the Mandrake/Debian Alternatives System?
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----------------------------------------
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The Mandrake/Debian alternatives system is designed to allow the system administrator to
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select an alternative when there are several options that provide the same file
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or functionality. For example, there are several different packages on Mandrake/Debian
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that provide the command "vi" (the standard POSIX text editor) and Mandrake/Debian (and
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other distributions using this same system as Mandrake Linux) allows you to
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have more than one option installed (for example, to satisfy the needs for
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different users on a multiuser system). But, how does Mandrake/Debian knows which of the
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installed programs must be run when "vi" is entered on a shell? The answer is:
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using the alternatives system. This system keeps a database of provided
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alternatives for every option on /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives and a collection of
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links on /etc/alternatives that point to the real program. So, if your default
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version of "vi" is "vim", the link /usr/bin/vi will point to
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/etc/alternatives/vi that points to /usr/bin/vim. But if in the future you
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would like to change /usr/bin/vi to point to the nvi executable you could:
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1. Change the link on /etc/alternatives/vi by hand.
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2. Use the Mandrake/Debian command update-alternatives --config vi
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3. Use TDEAlternatives.
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How is the program used?
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------------------------
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The program should be very simple to use; once executed (as root) you will be
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presented with a window showing a list where there are entries with yellow
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squares and subentries bellow them. The entries are "nodes", that is, programs
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that can have one or more alternative packages providing them and the
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subentries are the alternatives. You can select one alternative just by
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clicking on the radiobutton to the left of his name and pushing the "Apply"
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button. Then you will be presented with a dialog showing you the changes to be
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made and allowing you to confirm them before really changing the alternatives.
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Please note that some "nodes" only have one alternative because there are no
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more packages installed providing it and some alternatives are disabled (you
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will be unable to click on them). This last case is because the alternative
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exists in the database but the link to it is broken. This sometimes happends
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with unclean packages uninstallations and usually is not something to worry
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about.
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Who do I have to whine if the program fails for me?
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--------------------------------------------------
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To Juanjo <20>lvarez <juanjux@yahoo.es>
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What is the TDE-Mandrake/Debian project?
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-------------------------------
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The TDE-Debian project is composed of some individuals, actively supported by
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some companies, trying to provide Debian and Debian based distributions with a
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collection of first-class, updated TDE desktop including some TDE applications
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specifically designed for Debian.
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