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Deciding On The Future of Linux
A reader writes: The Free Standards Group has posted a request for feedback, now that they have completed LSB 1.2 and li18nux is also finished. Where should they/we go next? "
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It's all about drivers and compatibility with those gadgets...
:)
For example, the reason I'm running Windows now is because I can't get my darn Palm m515 to work in Linux, and I don't even know where to start looking for help with my Minidisc Player...
So it's all about compatibility with those gadgets in my book
Alan Cox is illusively quoted as saying, "The community is great for getting the work done, but when it comes to making decisions about where Linux is going, that responsibility should entirely rest on the shoulders of Linus. It's his operating system, and we shouldn't be able to take that away."
I want to agree with that quote. The guys programming Linux and the kernel and so forth are all hard workers and decide to where it's going.
I can't see why the FSF is trying to become the new Linux authority. First they've tried to claim that much of Linux was written by GNU, this is not true, I put to you, they tried changing Linux to GNU/Linux. Notice that GNU is placed before the word Linux, this implies a strong bias towards the former entity.
Linux was named after Linus Torvalds and he is the monkey at the top of the pole, NOT the FSF. If anyone wants to ask where Linux should be headed, it should be him and not the FSF who are simply angling for bonus points in the petty argument.
mogorific carpentry experiments
Did they just ask "where do you want to go today?"
What should they standardize next? Copy/Cut&Paste! It is one of the most important features of a modern desktop OS.
I agree completely. Applications shouldn't need to install any libraries at all. And I won't stand for the half-assed hack that would result either, where coders roll library functionality into the app itself, bloating it's size.
God-fucking-dammit, isn't it about time we had magical depenencies? Where the computer uses it's psychic abilities to create this depenency code on the fly, pulling it out of its ass or something? It's ridiculous, when you think about it. Who ever in their right mind has ever walked up to you and said "you know, to run Word, you need windows and a fuckload of DLLs already loaded and running!" It just doesn't happen, my friends. Why, because Windows already has Micro$oft Magical Library Generator XP, which creates them on the fly. And sure, if sometimes it is just random code that locks the CPU, isn't it worth it?
Damn, sarcastic mode is exhausting. BTW, mgkmsal2, you're one of the biggest slashtards I've ever seen here. Ever play with windows, and have it go spastic, wanting to know which version of the DLL you'll keep? Every operating system has this problem. If you don't like it, don't install software. Wanting your cake and eating it too, makes for really lame whining...
which are:
Unified System Documentation I want all docs in a single, standard format that all programs must write their basic documentation in. No more man, info, html, pdf, ps or whatnot. I'd prefer a fixed SGML DTD (docbook is OK, but I'd prefer a designed-from scratch one specifically to address the system documentation target). That way, we can can get good viewer independence with modern features (hyperlinks, fonts, in-line graphics). All of the current formats are lacking in at least two areas, and we don't have agreement on which to use. This is a big place for them to step up.
Standard Config Files No, this is not a request for a Registry (the merits thereof are for another discussion). What we want here is to get rid of the 80 billion different ways to write a config file. I'm sorry, but they all should be a nicely tagged XML (or similar) file nowdays. It sucks to have to figure out the idiosyncrasies of the various config files. This issue isn't simple, but is definitely a place where a good discussion is needed.
-Erik
There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.
This is solely designed to make things easier for third party app developers, since they know what they need to target. No distro is forced to follow the LSB, but if they want the maximum number of third party apps to run, then they will follow it, and get LSB certified.
Apart from this minimal framework, distro's are still free to do what they like. And since the FSG is not tied to any particular distro, they're not likely to favour one distribution over another.
To call that dictatorship is ridiculous, you might as well accuse the w3c of dictating all content on the internet, since they set the html standards.
Others seem to want to turn linux into windows. If only (mime support/windows like shell/c:\Program Files like dir structure) was finally included I would start using it. Yeah right like anyone cares. I think that with the burst of the internet bubble the idea that linux should go to the masses has been left behind. If you saw the interview with Linus himself on the BBC you will have heard that he does noet even wish to compete with windows. MS has its market and linux has its own. That is real freedom of choice people. Those people that want linux to become like windows just want a gratis (not free) version of windows.
The FSG is a standards group, I presume therefore that their question is on what if anything needs standarization next. Standarization is not the enemy of freedom when standarizing on it does not put a brake on innovation. A standard desktop for instance would limit innovation and therefore choice. A standard directory layout does not unless I missed some special signifigance in keeping youre logs in /.[sic]
So what needs standarizing next? I have no idea. Software creators now are reasonably sure where to install the bits of their software and how they can achieve multi language support. Printing is also ridicously easy (could be because I only have access to HP printers). Is anything more needed, almost certainly, let the creators figure this out and not disturb them with a dozen wish lists by windows users who will never switch over because it will always be hard to switch to something wich is different. If it wasn't different then what would be the point of switching at all.
Use linux not because someone tells you to. Use linux not because you want to stick it to Gates. Use linux not because you want to be l33t.
Use linux because you like it strenghts and can forgive its weaknesses.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Even though /usr, /var, /tmp, /etc are ridiculously cryptic, changing them would be horrible?
/etc to /settings or /config /var/log to /logs /var to /data (or something like it) /tmp to /temp (saving one character? sheesh!) /usr to /programs /bin to /system_programs
/etc may have difficulty configuring their box to be sure. But they'll have less difficulty if the directory is named /configuration or /settings won't they? The operating system shouldn't be some kind of high bar or IQ test. It should be a tool to get a job done. /etc to /settings doesn't make your life and my life appreciably harder and it makes life for newbies that much easier.
/etc less oddball than /settings? What universe do you live in? The directory name "etc" is an artifact of history, not a brilliant design plan. 1K of memory was expensive so the directory names were kept as short as possible. Now 1K is a rounding error. The reasons for "etc" no longer exist today. You might as well tell me that people should still hone their PDP-11 assembly skills before doing any programming in a high-level language.
/etc. Good for you. After the rest of the world moves on, you can make your symbolic links. The rest of the world -- this includes all of those folks who accurately regard a computer and operating system as merely tools -- is used to descriptive names. /etc ain't descriptive. It's the UNIX club's code word for /settings. They like code words. It's like a secret handshake. It maintains a feeling of superiority however obviously false that feeling may be.
Get this:
Change
Change
Change
Change
Change
Change
and then (drumroll) make symbolic links so that old scripts and programs still work. You leave that in place for a couple of years, and then you remove the symbolic links. All that's left are logical names that actually convey information. And before people complain about the amount of extra typing, please tell me that you know how to use <tab> for filename completion (se<tab> gets you settings for example).
Users who can't remember that config files live in
And how, by any stretch of the imagination, is
You're used to
- I don't need to go outside, my CRT tan'll do me just fine.
This is something we need ... yesterday. An XML (or whatever SGML they choose) office format standard. I know there is
work in progress from the Open Office Project, but I would rather have this work merged in a standard dictated by the Free Standards group. That alone would represent a HUGE step forward. Let's hope.