I find compiling from source to be a considerable waste of time. In a scenario where I have none of the dependencies for Xymon, that means compiling each and every one of them (sometimes finding that you're missing a dependency whilst trying to compile another dependency). Also, you're left either putting everything in one directory, or having a complicated FHS-style install where it's basically impossible to go back and remove it should you want to later. Also, you're generally stuck patching your own software, which is also a hassle.
I tend to get the feeling that the "from source" people are either old-fashioned (not a bad thing, just a way of doing things that perhaps used to be more necessary) or must have staffing levels way above mine. I certainly would say that one should know HOW to compile from source in a pinch, but that it's really just not necessary on many platforms.
True in many cases but installing pre-requisites and compiling Xymon is so trivial, it's certainly better than using the very old packages that are provided by most distros.
Malcolm
-- Technical copy-editor & proofreader
KDE Proofreading Team KDE British English Translation Team
http://l10n.kde.org/team-infos.php?teamcode=en_GB
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