Bruce Perens on UserLinux and Ubuntu

SDenmark writes "Ever wondered what happened to UserLinux, and how it's faring now that Ubuntu has stolen the spotlight? Linux Format has an interview with Bruce Perens, founder of UserLinux, the Open Source Initiative and Linux Standard Base. Perens discusses the impact of Ubuntu, how industry bodies are helping open source and why figureheads are important for the Free Software community."

Comments

Re:Figureheads? Let's do it Hollywood style

[STDOUBT]

Debian has a floozy:
http://www.linuxforum.com/linux_wallpapers_full/10 4.php

What is Userlinux?

[EnronHaliburton2004]

Not to be an ass, but what is Userlinux? Is it a Linux Distro? There is no obvious description on the Userlinux webpage. People like to blame Ubuntu for stealing the spotlight, but Ubuntu fame isn't preventing anyone from putting up a quick blurb describing "Userlinux".

Every open source project should have a quick 2 line description at the top of the webpage. It shouldn't take me 6 clicks to get a BASIC description of your project.

Before you criticize, here's what I did:

• http://www.userlinux.com/ directs me to http://www.userlinux.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl
• http://www.userlinux.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl doesn't have a description, but it does say:
  
  "Main announcements have been moved to the UserLinux web site at http://www.userlinux.com/ . "
  
  and
  
  "# See http://www.userlinux.com/ and http://www.userlinux.com/about for more information. "
  
• 
  
  Great, so I click on http://www.userlinux.com/ and end up back at http://www.userlinux.com/cgi-bin/wiki.pl . No luck there!
  
  
• Let's check out http://www.userlinux.com/about/.
  
  This site is parked via OpenSourceParking.com .
  No-Cost Parking, only Open Source / Free Software are used.
  Proceeds from advertising will go to political and promotional efforts on behalf of Open Source / Free Software.
  Now, you can do some good with that parked domain!
  
  

I still have no idea what UserLinux is. And that was what, 7 clicks?

Compare this to Ubuntu.com. It took me 10 seconds to read the 2 line blurb at http://www.ubuntu.com/:

"Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community and we invite you to participate too!

Re:What is Userlinux?

[data64]

Not to be an ass, but what is Userlinux?

See UserLinux description on Wikipedia. And I do agree with you, there should be a better description on Userlinux.com website. I still don't know why one would use UserLinux rather than Ubuntu.

Re:What is Userlinux?

[int14]

I just went to the UserLinux FAQ looking for the question, 'What is UserLinux?', and I was going to be all smug and reply with some 'read the FAQ you fool' type comment...

but then I realized...

They don't even have that question on the FAQ. Wow, so yea, you're absolutely right.

UserLinux was never going to work

[ProteusQ]

I remember being on the mailing list years ago. The conversations with Bruce can be summarized this way:

BRUCE: I can't tell you who I'm working for, but there's a lot of money behind this project. So, we have to be serious about this. What should we call this distro?

BOB: SuperLinux!

FRED: Enterprise-D Linux!

ELMER: CoolNIX!

BRUCE: No, no, no! You have to be serious about this! There's a lot of money behind this project. I can't tell you whose money, but we have to come up with a name for our distro that they'll like!

FRED: If they have that much money, why don't *they* pick a name?

BRUCE: I want this to be a community effort! How about 'UserLinux'?

FRED: Boring.

BOB: Generic.

ELMER: Ditto that.

BRUCE: But the community has to be serious about this! There's a lot of money behind this, and the companies that I can't name won't use Linux without a professionally named distro!

ELMER: So, this is a community effort, but the decisions will be made by fiat?

BRUCE: No, the community has to be a part of this. Now, KDE or GNOME? My clients only want GNOME. What do you think?

ELMER: That we should take this seriously because there's a lot of money behind this project from companies you can't name?

BRUCE: Exactly! So, KDE is out!

Eventually, there was a big rumble and KDE got shoved back in. I dropped the list some time after that, because it was clear that the community was meant to rubber-stamp a project that some large companies wanted to produce on the cheap.