How many is too many?

How many is too many?

Posted Oct 13, 2005 3:55 UTC (Thu) by kirkengaard (subscriber, #15022)
Parent article: How many is too many?

Michael Dell wants less confusion so he can make an easy "right" choice. In the end, he must care more about his bottom line than about Free Software. His bottom line is the life of his business. The apparent fact that he is interested in Linux distributions may be the result of any number of factors; it may well be that Mr. Dell considers Linux a possible augmentation of his product line, and thereby an expansion of his bottom line. However, the question betrays a lack of Free Software understanding. The answer to "How many is too many?" is "Mu."

The profusion of distributions mirrors the philosophy of Free Software; GPLed code exists for everyone, and everyone has the right to use it to the fullest extent, provided that their users retain the identical rights.* For GNU/Linux, certain itches just have to be scratched with a customized system; the kernel and the tools must be combined to be useful. Some people, on the other hand, just have an itch to build a distribution. They all have the right to do so, and many responsibly give back to the community, which is also a great way to A) generate interest, B) get help supporting and testing, and C) see to the longevity of the created work. You may not need any of those hundreds of distributions; you probably only need a limited few of them. However, what you need in a Linux system depends largely on what you will be using that Linux system for. If a distribution exists that helps you scratch your itch, even if you must modify it to fully meet the need, Free Software has worked.

My concise answer is, "'As many as there are' is probably still less than the number of members of the problem set."

* Not a legally complete explanation of the GPL, I know. Go RTL.

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