Thomas M Clarke wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> After installing NetBSD 2.0 on my laptop I'd like to install Gnome. It's the
> first time I've installed a desktop on any of the NetBSD systems I have.
> 
>>From what I can gather from the DESCR files I see there are two versions
> available, one more stable than the other (?).
> 

In pkgsrc there's the old, no longer maintained, version 1.0 and the
current version 2.0 (2.8 to be precise). The Gnome people are working on
the next version, with test snapshots released as 2.9.x - these are not
in pkgsrc as they're really for testers and the curious.

> What I would like to know is the list of packages to install to get a
> standard, base gnome installation up and running (applications will come
> later). I'm asking this because I see there are several gnome packages
> available and I am unable to determine which one is/are the one(s) to
> install to get a viable base installation.
> 

The best thing is to pick a Gnome application you need (math/gcalctool
for instance) and just install it. The basic Gnome libraries will be
installed, and any subsequent applications will just pull in any more
esoteric libraries that they need (like libgnomeprint for instance).

If you just want the working desktop, then x11/gnome-session is a good
choice, as I'm pretty sure it pulls in all the necessary bits like the
metacity window manager and the panel.

> Another question I have is regarding stability, is the latest version really
> that unstable that it wouldn't be recommended to install? A few minor bugs
> here and there is fine by me but I don't wish to sacrifice the entire
> systems stability for the latest and greatest in desktop features.
> 

I use Gnome 2.0 applications every working day (print/ggv, print/gpdf
and math/gcalctool) and they have been rock solid for a very long time.
The focus with Gnome 2.0 has been to simplify and provide straghtforward
defaults rather than the "everything and the kitchen sink" approach of
Gnome 1.0 and KDE. This seems to have paid off, as Gnome 2.0 is very
clean and consistent, both from an interface perspective as well as the
library API's.

Chris