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Toward a New Kind of Linux Distribution
An anonymous reader writes "Progeny co-founder Ian Murdock wrote a weblog entry that has been reprinted at Newsforge. He talks about how current distros are built from the top down, making a 'one-size-fits-all' solution of technology. He proposes making a modular solution that encompasses building modules so distros can include only the technology they need to suit their purpose, kinda like building from the bottom up. Interesting read, good arguments, potential for a new Linux community."
Gentoo is compartamentalized, but not in anyway that other distros such as debian isn't.
Both Debian and Gentoo are heavily optimizable, you choose the componates that you want etc etc.
Bot have your advantages and disavantages.
Debian's is that the developement cycles that forever to make sure that everything is working correctly, but you get a reliable computer that is usefull for hundreds of different applications.
and Gentoo's big disadvatage is that it's worthless for anything other then home desktop, but you can play around with newest technology.
(could imagine administrating a hundred gentoo boxes buy yourself and getting someone to actually think it's a good idea to pay you to run a OS on them that takes a average of two days to get installed?)
And no compiling for speed is DEFINATELY NOT WORTH IT JUST FOR A PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE in 95% of the apps you would use on a daily basis.
But IMHO people are naturally moving towards comparmentalized OSes anyways in Linux. Weither or not they realise it.
Think about, APT and other decent package managers have caught on in a big way. Fedora can use both Apt and or Yum.
Using package managers it's easy to customize any install and the BIGGEST advantage is that it's simple to keep everything up to date and to install new programs.
A BIG advantage over closed source stuff. (once you get it set up.)
Now if most linux distros agree to stick to a common Filesystem Hierarchy system (http://www.pathname.com/fhs/) then you can use all sorts of packages together.
I could use Fedora packages, apt packages, debian packages, gentoo build scripts and all sorts of stuff and pluss get support for closed sourced software easily in any distro of my choosing.
If Debian doesn't have a new enough XFree86 build you can install it from Fedora and build the latest KDE 3.x beta from portage scripts from Gentoo.
That's what we should aim for, and a common FHS is pretty close. People are beginning to learn the best way to do stuff and the directory systems are beginning to be more and more common to all Linux distros.
In a few years I hope the consept of numbered linux distro releases will be gone and we will move to a stable/unstable model similar to Debian.
Hint: update to something made within the last year and there's no difference between installing/updating gentoo and any other OS, and you get the advantage of gentoo's optimization in space and speed. I know which I'd go for.
Yeah, that 7+ hours compiling KDE/GNOME just flies by
Although I dont think Ian raises any particularly unique arguments, the article is a susinct introduction to the elements that emphises Linux's strong points.
The thing that aroused my interest in Linux was not its cost, but its ability to be used in projects that were not limited to traditional PC software.
Imbedded linux will (as long as MS doesnt rethink its licensing) rule the non-pc computing world.
It makes perfect sence. Who cares how your C64 watch works, as long as it does.
It seems unlikely that "componentized Linux" is the answer because only imbedded linux realy needs to get down to the "Linux from scratch" kind of level - otherwise, you'll probably be looking for a higher level distro.
Almost all Linux distros are componentised. OK everyone let's hear it: "Linux is not Windows."
We've got distros mainly because we aren't all kernal coders who know all the in's and out's of every single chipset. Quite frankly I don't know who even has the time (but apparently some of you do). We have generic groups of packages/aptget/emerge/etc. to allow for faster deployment. And that's another beautiful part to Linux: Choices!
Yes, perhaps it's overwhelming at first, but you can build it from the ground up if that's what you really want or just pile it on thick and zesty!
The author wants to promote Progeny and "Componentized Linux", and I think there's always room for Yet Another Distro (YAD), but to say the others are doomed to fail because they came on 3 CD's (Think Fidora) is misleading. Mandrake 9.1 came on 3 CD's but it certainly won't force you to install all of it. In fact, you can just select a kernal only option, and it won't even ask for the other two disks. Not only that, but you can hand select only the packages you want. How cool is that?
So I guess what I'm trying to say is that most linux distros have options to allow their users to build it pretty much from the ground up. The reason for the different distros lies in what their vision of the ultimate system looks like when it's totally loaded down.
Hmm, well, it seems you might be slow, so I'm going to state this just about as clearly as I can.
It's impossible for Gentoo to be as fast as binary-only distributions because it has to the job of the binary distribution (the "make install" part) in addition to the compilation. Which, by the way, is slow (with any program or reasable size) on any hardware. I do use an athlon XP 1600+ which is fairly old (and did indeed perform quite poorly at installing Gentoo packages), but even on a Dual Xeon system, I wouldn't want to have to compile KDE from source.
But the most important thing to note is that many people do use old hardware. Why not support them as well? My work computer is a P3 700, and it runs Debian quite smoothly, and installs even big packages in less than a minute (of course, it helps that my work connection gets > 1megabyte/second to MIT's Debian mirrors). Why should that hardware not be viable? Just because you think everybody should use source only distributions? I don't think so.
One size fits all,
Be you short or be you tall,
Be you wide or be you slim,
Be you her or be you him.
Now please, don't start to scream and yell,
We never said it would fit well.
There are times and places where one size fits all may be vaguely suitable for a good many, even the majority of, people. If one happens to be exactly that "one size" you might even wonder why anyone would ever want something else.
There are also, however, times when one size fit's all, no matter how close the fit, is simply intolerable and a wee bit of tailoring is in order.
If you don't feel the need of another Linux "dialect" than ignore it. Those that do may find the new "dialect" finally makes life bearable.
KFG
Actually, Debian is close.
$ apt-cache search vim | grep vim
kvim - Vi IMproved - KDE 3.x version
vim - Vi IMproved - enhanced vi editor
vim-doc - Vi IMproved - Documentation files
vim-gnome - Vi IMproved - GNOME2 Version
vim-gtk - Vi IMproved - GTK2 Version
vim-latexsuite - Brings the LaTeX power to Vim
vim-lesstif - Vi IMproved - LessTif Version
vim-perl - Vi IMproved, with perl scripting support
vim-python - Vi IMproved, with python scripting support
vim-ruby - Vi IMproved, with ruby scripting support
vim-scripts - plugins for vim, adding bells and whistles
vim-tcl - Vi IMproved, with tcl scripting support
vim-vimoutliner - a script for building an outline editor on top of Vim
vimacs - Emacs emulation for Vim
vimpart - Vim Component for KDE
And you could always choose to compile the thing from source yourself. But I prefer the convenience.
(btw, I'm posting from a Gentoo machine.)
Don't quote me on this.
Um, no...
This is not a SCO-like demand. SCO hasn't shown any proof of its claims. RMS's claim, OTOH, that the current distros have far more GNU code than Linux kernel code, is a fact. Go look at any distro if you don't believe it. And stop trying to use bandwagon buzzwords and name calling to make your arguments. Actual facts work much more nicely. If you want to prove it, go do a GNU vs. Linux SLOC count (or whatever metric would make sense) of a major distro.
Two wrongs don't make a right.Maybe I'm wrong, but you apparently just don't 'get it'. We live in a society increasingly dependent on technology. If our basic human rights become exclusively delivered by tech (they become more so daily), and tech is one big maze of toll roads, then we lose those rights. RMS doesn't misuse the word freedom; he apparently understands its meaning far more deeply than you do.
"Similarly, Stallman disallows some reuse of his so-called "free" code because he disagrees with it."
He does no such thing. It's a license. If you don't agree with it then don't distribute it. That's your freedom.
"Further, Stallman's idea of freedom is not truly free because it denies freedoms to programmers who wish to actually make money from the fruits of their labors."
Again you are completely wrong. The GPL does not prevent an author from making money from the fruits of their labors. It prevents them from making money off of MY labors. You see the difference?
"To the rest of us, it's a hollow shell."
Only if you are too stupid or lazy to write your own code. If you are leech on society who likes to kick back and let other people work hard and then suck away their property for your self then I can see how this would not work for you. Too bad America has become so used to getting welfare from the govt because now they want welfare from everybody else too.
Stallman or anybody does not owe you code. Nobody owes you code. You need to get off your ass and work instead of whining about how you are not allowed to make money off of other people's code.
"I believe the Founding Fathers would agree with my view on the subject, because they universally held that free speech must extend even to those concepts that some find offensive or objectionable."
Absolutely. Nobody argues with that. But apparently your limited IQ is not able to grasp a simple concept. Code is not speech. It's not protected by the constitution.
Finally ask yourself this. Why do you demand the stallman give you his code. Don't you think MS or Oracle have more and better code then stallman. How come you are not throwing a hissy fit because MS won't give you code? Aren't they infringing your right to make money?
The best way to support the US war effort is to continue buying American products.
Once again your tiny little feeble brain is confusing speech with code. Stallman and the FSF are very much likely to defend your speech no matter what you say. What they don't like is you stealing their code. Advocating freedom is different then advocating theft. No proponent of freedom says that you should be free to steal other peoples stuff.
They don't have the same definition of freedom that you do and you are really pissed because of that. So pissed off that you want to "disinfect" them. I suppose that means killing them or something because I don't know how else you would disinfect something.
Somehow you have gotten into your head that freedoms means you can do whatever the fuck you feel like whenever you feel like it. I hate to break this to you but that's not the way it works. Having absolute freedom means denying everybody else of their theirs. You are not free to rape women because you think they are pretty and you are not free to steal other peoples code. Just because you are not allowed to rape your next door naighbor that does not mean you are not free. No definition of freedom allows for something like that (except yours of course).
You should read the speech professor Moglens speech at harward. Their idea of freedom is one of a self healing commons. An enduring and irrevocable freedom. In order to achieve this kind of a perpetual freedom they have invented the GPL and you know what it works.
The reason you are pissed off is ample evidence that it works. You want to make money off of their backs. You want to take their code and make it your own, you want to sell it and make money off of it and they won't let you. By preventing leeches like you from stealing from the commons without giving back they ensure long term existance of the same commons.
The best way to support the US war effort is to continue buying American products.