Why the focus on obscure and ephemere distributions ? [LWN.net]

From:		Nicolas Mailhot <Nicolas.Mailhot@laposte.net>
To:		letters@lwn.net
Subject:		Why the focus on obscure and ephemere distributions ?
Date:		Thu, 11 Sep 2003 12:50:57 +0200

I'm a bit disappointed on LWN's focus on full distributions.

Not that I do not like having a reference on the birth of death of
distributions in the Linux world, but because for most users they are
simply irrelevant. Specialised distribution are just that - specialised.
Their intended audience is necessarily limited. More general efforts
OTOH directly compete with big Linux names and almost always fail after
the initial burst of energy (as this week review rightfully notes).

A smart/informed Linux user will stay clear of the latest experiments in
installer technology/recompilation with more cutting edge gcc flags and
use instead a proven mainstream distribution, focusing on reliable
sources of high-quality third-party addons. This way he will get the
advantages of a well supported, upgradable system core with the ability
to easily install cool new stuff.

RedHat's move out of the retail channel for example shows
all-encompassing distributions packaged in a single box at a single
point in time may soon be a thing of the past, and the future is a disc
seed that is then updated/completed using a network installer.

For most users now the action is not in new distributions that require
you to dump your existing installation to try a few applications you do
not have yet, but in projects like PLF, Fedora, JPackage, Freshrpms,
Dag, Ximian desktop... that enable you to complete your existing setup
with minimal fuss (I'm writing about the rpm world now because that's
what I know best). This is what LWN should be reviewing today.

Connectiva's port of apt to rpm and broadband completely changed the
linux software distribution patterns in the last years. The use of a
common packaging format always enabled contacts between distributions
(see RedHat/Mandrake, rpmfind...). What's new is the large community
projects that now try to complete vendors offerings. It's a shame LWN
still seems to overlook it.

Regards,

--
Nicolas Mailhot

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Why the focus on obscure and ephemere distributions ?

Posted Sep 18, 2003 13:48 UTC (Thu) by mdekkers (guest, #85) [Link]

Hi Nicholas. One of the reasons that I pay for my LWN subscription is because of the focus on *all* linux distro's, big or small. With all due respect, you mistakenly assume that a smart/informed linux user would act in the same manner as yourself. This is an undestandable mistake, but it is a mistake just the same.

I personally feel that I am a smart, informed linux user, primarily because I experiment away from the mainstream. Yes, SuSE Linux 8.2 is my main distro (and a fine one at that, I may add. It even does dependency resolution for RPM. How about that?!?), however, I frequently assess and use almost all distro's out there - especially those that offer something new or different from the mainstream distros.

I advise Fortune 500 customers about Open Source and Linux, and *need* to know what is going out there, as do most others that use Linux for professional purposes. Who knows when some "fringe lunatic" with m4d skillz, GCC, and too much time on his hands will invent the Next Big Thing? I wanna be there when that happens, but will likely be too busy earning a living. So the next best thing is LWN talking about it.

When you say "For most users now the action is...." my eyes gloss over. I am sick and tired of people "deciding" what is best for "users". But that is a different story. Again, it is nice to see that you are a well adjusted individual and feel you are thourougly part of the mainstream, but don't equate what is best for you with what is best for everybody. It simply does not make you look good.

Best, and kind regards,

Martijn

Why the focus on obscure and ephemere distributions ?

Posted Sep 19, 2003 4:29 UTC (Fri) by lovelace (subscriber, #278) [Link]

I agree. While I use Mandrake at home and Red Hat for my local LUG, at work we sometimes
need distributions that don't fit that same model. It's very nice to be able to hear about
other types of distributions here so that when I need something like that I won't be shooting
completely in the dark.

Why the focus on obscure and ephemere distributions ?

Posted Sep 19, 2003 13:59 UTC (Fri) by utoddl (subscriber, #1232) [Link]

I agree that there are some -- perhaps most -- users out there who fit the profile you present in your letter. I'll also posit that a reliable source of information with the focus and caliber of LWN is vital to the "community", including hard-core developers and the users you describe.

Why it's of use to developers and distribution builders tucked away in the dark technical trenches in universities, businesses, clubs, etc. is obvious. There's just stuff in there that we need to know about.

The value to the users you describe, however, is perhaps even more important in a community model. It provides users (like you, perhaps) with information they need to cross over from being merely consumers of developed technology to becoming creators and inovators. A good first step in that process is to survey the different ways people have packaged Linux into various "obscure and ephemere distributions." Taking that step is much easier thanks to the coverage in LWN.

Arguably the community inovates best when its members find an itch to scratch. The person who decides to scratch the itch -- even if he's just been a "joe user" up to that point -- could do a lot worse than to cruise through LWN to see what others have done.

Perhaps there is a place for a mainstream, purely user-oriented Linux publication, but I don't want to see happen to LWN what happened to most of the good programming / development / computing oriented publications in the 90's. We need good sources of What We've Done / How We Do Things / Why information, and lwn.net and IBM's developerWorks are extremely valuable for that reason, especially for the average user who decides he's ready to do something new.