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10 Glint

Glint

Red Hat provides a graphical tool to aid in package installation and removal. It's called glint (Graphical Linux INstallation Tool) and runs under the X Windows System. It allows easy installation, uninstallation, upgrading, querying, and verification of packages. The interface is similar to the one found in many popular file managers and is simple to use.

Operations are performed in glint by selecting the packages to operate on and then selecting the operation to perform via pushbuttons. Installing a package places all of the components of that package on your system. Uninstalling one removes all traces of the package except for configuration files you have modified. Upgrading a package installs the newly available version and uninstalls all other versions that were previously installed. This allows quick upgrading to the latest releases of packages.

The query operation lets you examine the details of both installed or available package. You can view the description of the package, where and when it was built, the files in the package, and other attributes. All of the configuration and documentation components of each package are clearly marked as such to reduce the time you spend looking for them.

Using glint to perform all of these operations is the same as using rpm to do them from the command line. However, the graphical nature of glint often makes these operations easier to perform.

The normal way to handle glint is to display the available packages and files, select the ones you want to operate on, and then press a button or choose a menu item that performs the operation. For instance, you can install several packages with a few button clicks.

10.1 Starting glint

10.2 The Package Display

10.3 Configuration

10.4 Package Manipulation


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