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Date: 	Thu, 21 Nov 1996 17:16:18 -0500
From: Edward Ing <edward.ing@utoronto.ca>
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Subject: I like what Debian is trying to do with Linux you are doing.
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I am a FreeBSD user and I like the fact that FreeBSD has a common
distribution,
and that this distribution has a relatively straight forward
installation
process. Secondly, I like the way FreeBSD has organized the software
packages and the package installation/uninstallation tools, and
organized the auxillary software into a ports collection with
a set of "make" skeletons (which even ftp to get the required sources.)

The organzation of your distribution is reaching an equally well
thought-out state. The FreeBSD distribution process, and its
development/research structure can serve as a good model for Linux
development to improve your distribution.

My concerned for Linux (Slackeware linux was actually the first free
UNIX which I started with) is that the many variants are leading it to
the way of the BSD-SystemV-AIX-HP-UX-you-name-it schism. I really
appreciate what Debian is trying to do for the free-UNIX world and
hope that it will not be too stubborn, but use the FreeBSD distribution
and development structure as a model and integrate it into the
advantageous aspects of Debians existing package managment system.

I will probably be installing a Debian system sometime, but I am waiting
for a neat realease.

Edward Ing