Updating from RPM 3.0.4 and searching RH web site

[Al Sparks <data345 yahoo com>]

I would like to express my disappointment (in case anyone from Red Hat
monitors this list) with Red Hat?s web site.

I decided to visit Red Hat?s errata page so I could check and see if
there was anything worth updating on RH 6.2.

I soon found that rpm-3.0.4 isn?t going to cut it.  So I tried to
update it.  By checking out the archives of his list, I found that I
needed to update to rpm-3.0.5, if I wanted to upgrade to rpm-4.x. 
Fine.  So I tried looking for rpm-3.0.5 on Red Hat?s site, and found a
link.  However, the link didn?t work.  Well, I tried doing a manual ftp
to ftp://updates.redhat.com, and cd?d into the same directory that was
referenced by the web site?s link.

After all that, I found that the file wasn?t even there.

I haven?t been able to find a trace of rpm-3.0.5 on Red Hat?s site.  So
I went to http://www.rpmfind.net, and found a, rpm-3.0.5, but since I
did not find any such rpm that was issued by Red Hat, I was suspicious. 
So I decided to at least download the source, and see if I could
compile it (--rebuild?).  That seemed to work (after downloading and
installing python-devel).

I?ve never done this before, so I have more research to do to figure
out how to actually install a build of a source RPM.  This is all
valuable information, but I?m still frustrated that something so
important, the upgrading from RPM 3.x to RPM 4.x, hasn?t been made
easier by Red Hat.

I have another complaint also.  When you try searching their archive of
redhat-list, I?m not getting any results.  My search results are
redhat-list DIGESTS.  That?s not very useful.

C?mon Red Hat.  I realize these are free services.  But you?re better
off not providing a service at all, than you are providing a shoddy
service.

The archive search engine is a fairly minor irritation.  The lack of an
easy RPM upgrade procedure via your web site is more serious.
    === Al


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