Re: [tlug] There are way too many Linux distros

[Attila Kinali <attila@example.com>]

On Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:16:09 +0900
"Josh Glover" <jmglov@example.com> wrote:

> 2008/6/19 Phillip Tribble <phillip.tribble@example.com>:
> 
> > I wrote the article and I am not a BSD user. I love Linux. just as much as
> > anyone else. I just thought we could use some unity.
> 
> You are aware of LSB, right?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_Standard_Base
> 
> Also, I think that one Linux distro is unlikely to serve the wildly
> differing needs and preferences of users... unless that one distro is
> Gentoo! ;)

I'd even go as far as to say that we do not have enough
linux distributions. Why? Because there is still not one
that fits my needs. Beside, distros come and go, they
evolve to something better over time. It isn't like
BSD where there is one true distro[tm] and everyone
has to use it or die in pain (ok, i'm disregarding
debian/bsd). With linux you have the choice, with
choice comes power, but with power and choice
come responsibility and problems. So far, i'd say
the advantage of having different distros to choose
from outweights the disadvantages.

> I agree with your point that NIH is bad. Also, as Stephen pointed out,
> it sucks when you get stuff like ipconfig, which has become as
> complicated as ifconfig, but with far worse documentation. And what
> sucks more is when every distro has a slightly different version...

I'd like to cite Reimar Döffinger here:

"Reinventing the wheel certainly is annoying, but as long
as all other wheels are square..."
http://lists.mplayerhq.hu/pipermail/mplayer-dev-eng/2006-February/040784.html

(Yes, the FFmpeg and MPlayer developers live by this credo)

			Attila Kinali
-- 
The true CS students do not need to know how to program.
They learn how to abstract the process of programming to
the point of making programmers obsolete.
		-- Jabber in #holo