Re: tlug: Netscape and RH5.0

[Jonathan Byrne - 3Web <jq@example.com>]

On Wed, 26 Aug 1998, Jim Breen wrote:

>I grabbed and tried, but I found it was an extension to the normal 4.04
>(?) rpm, so it failed because of lack of the right dependencies. The 4.06
>I installed was from Netscape, and just used their installation script,
>which worked fine.
>
>I guess I'd need to manually remove all of the existing Netscape, including
>all the Java classes, etc. etc., then install the 4.04 rpm, then the
>muriyari rpm?

Which dependencies did it fail on?  If there were no dependency problems, I
don't think you would have to do the Netscape RPM and Muriyari RPM in separate
steps.  Muriyari is also available in an tar.gz version with an install
script, but I'm afraid I've lost the URL again.  Somebody on TLUG is bound to
know it, though.


>Before I embark on anything quite that radical, can you tell me what the
>design goals were for muriyari? Was there a specific problem, or was it
>general Japanization?

The specific problems addressed (that I know of) are that the stock Netscape
for Linux will not:

1) Display Japanese on form buttons (you get mojibake);
2) Support Japanese input into forms.

The hack fixes both of those problems, and also makes all the menus, etc.,
Japanese.

Regrettably, it doesn't enable Japanese input in Netscape Mail.

Problem areas are that it introduces some instability into Netscape, so that
once in a while it may crash, and there is some circumstantial evidence that
it may have memory leaks.  If it's been up for a day or two, I start getting
real performance degradation and very heavy swap file access, which is cured
by shutting down Netscape and restarting it.  This also seems to help its
stability, so I've made it my policy to close Netscape everyday when I leave
work, which apparently is sufficient to keep its problems under control.

I always find myself lamenting both the scarcity of Japanese apps and the poor
quality (relative to its proprietary competition) of Japanese input systems
under Linux, but this is still a young and rapidly growing OS.  It'll get
better someday, and then I'll be able to talk about how we used to have to
walk 10 miles through the snow to do Japanese input under Linux in the old
days, and we liked it . . .   :-)

Cheers,

Jonathan Byrne
Media and Content Section
3Web - Your Internet Solution! <URL:http://www.threeweb.ad.jp/index.en.html>
3Web Channel <URL: http://www.3web.co.jp/>

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