Date: Sun, 2 Dec 2001 10:43:28 -0500 From: Matthew Graybosch <matthew@starbreaker.net> To: Mark Tinka <aknit444@yahoo.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Linux distro fragmentation and FreeBSD Message-ID: <200112021025.20398@starbreaker.net> In-Reply-To: <20011201160028.69170.qmail@web20902.mail.yahoo.com> References: <20011201160028.69170.qmail@web20902.mail.yahoo.com>
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Mark, what you say makes a great deal of sense. However, I've noticed that the distributors often take too long to release "custom" version of the latest software and that the quickest way to stay "current" is to grab the sources directly from SourceForge. There's also what I see as a fragmentation of the Linux distro market. For the most part, each of the major distros (RH, SuSE, Debian, Mandrake, Slackware, etc.) each seem to do things slightly differently in their definition of a "base system". I think that other than the kernel and the GNU tools every distro does things differently. This quibble isn't really relevant if you're working in a pure Red Hat shop or a pure SuSE shop. However, if you've got the secretaries using Mandrake, the PHBs using SuSE, the graphics people using Yellow Dog on their Macs, and the hackers and BOFHs using Debian or Slackware, then you have to keep references on the idiosyncrasies at at least 4-5 different distros. Sounds like a bloody pain in the ass to me. While I'm not advocating a monopoly for any one $DISTRO, I do think that if the individual distributors don't start comparing notes and putting together some kind of definitive standard on base Linux systems, then the Linux market could end up like the commercial Unix market -- fragmented, marginalized, and unable to appeal to a broad range of users. I think that users should be able to learn basic Linux skills on a particular distro and be able to apply those skills to any distro. Then again, maybe people can do that already. Maybe I'm just bullshitting, but I remember reading that once a person learned FreeBSD he could apply his knowledge to just about any Unix out there. I like that. - -- Matthew Graybosch http://www.starbreaker.net GnuPG Key ID: 0x7D488659 "Sex, Unix, and rock 'n roll" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (FreeBSD) Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org iD8DBQE8CkwgcCiK1X1IhlkRAroIAKC8iAJjIP3qYU/NI3jRdMUswtiVaACfUs4k x4EcQoFYWAYVqHDngQFUDls= =VS2h -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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