LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem [LWN.net]

LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem

Posted Sep 18, 2008 7:17 UTC (Thu) by dlang (✭ supporter ✭, #313)
In reply to: LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem by rahulsundaram
Parent article: LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem

the upstram projects do not ship the slackware/gentoo/fedora/Suse config files (and nobody expects those distros to submit their default config files upstream), so why should you expect Ubunto to do so?

as for their other administrative and config scripts, where do you suggest that they submit them? there is no 'upstream' (other then possibly debian) for them to deal with. they do like every other distro does and provide the source of the scripts with the distro.

If one of the other posters is correct and that for their kernel they are almost completely upstream + backported fixes from upstream, then the main thing that they are doing is tuning the kernel and selecting config options, who do you suggest that they submit these configs to?

where they do have real development work going on I expect them to push things back upstream, if only in self defense (reducing their workload), but it takes people experienced in distro maintenance to really believe that. (just like it takes a experienced developer to really believe in code re-use, and some people never do learn and insist on always re-inventing the wheel)

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LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem

Posted Sep 18, 2008 7:48 UTC (Thu) by filipjoelsson (subscriber, #2622) [Link]

If you do work on configs to make packages harmonize better with each other (or whatever), it's perfectly legitimate for the communities to expect you to contribute these new improved default configs back to the originating projects. Pretty much the only thing that upstream wouldn't be interested in, is trademarked artwork.

Are the pesky Ubuntu developers twiddling their thumbs all day, or actually doing work? If they are doing work, it'd be a whole lot nicer of them to contribute. And since they are a Debian derivative, there is an upstream for exactly everything they do (including little scripts and exotic configs) - except inserting trademarked logotypes.

Then again, they may be very few, and already contributing exactly everything they do - but if that was the case; why the difference between Debian and Ubuntu?

LPC: Fitting into the kernel ecosystem

Posted Sep 18, 2008 8:22 UTC (Thu) by nim-nim (subscriber, #34454) [Link]

> the upstram projects do not ship the slackware/gentoo/fedora/Suse config
> files (and nobody expects those distros to submit their default config
> files upstream),

Of course they do. If you had followed any major software projects you'd have seen default config fixes from Red Hat, Mandriva, Novell, etc

> so why should you expect Ubunto to do so?

That's Ubuntu's opinion and why it's getting a black eye now.