I think you should consider a Linux distribution with some sort of package management. It pains me to see users
manually
satisfying package dependencies. This is a thing of the past now that we have modern
distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, or Gentoo. For example, I have
installed gEDA and PCB on two different distributions (Gentoo and
Ubuntu) and each took about, oh, 3 seconds of my time. On Gentoo it was
as simple as:
$ sudo emerge geda pcb
On Ubuntu it was as simple as:
$ sudo apt-get install geda pcb
These distributions have active development communities that go to
great trouble to make sure their systems download, configure, build,
and install packages and any dependencies in a safe, reliable manner.
The fact that a package is difficult to install is not necessarily a
bug, it just means a little more work perhaps for the Gentoo/Ubuntu
package maintainer, but not for you :-)
If you are looking to make a switch, I would recommend
Ubuntu as it is by far the most active and heavily funded distribution available. All the hard work that is going into that distribution directly translates into less work for you.
Coming back to the gEDA project... maybe the download page should include subsections on how to install for common distributions that have gEDA incorporated into their package repositories. Also a note stating that these are the recommended methods of installation for new users.
Anyway, just my $0.02. Hope it is constructive.
- Taylor