Re: Questions for Martin
#include <hallo.h>
* Martin Michlmayr [Sat, Feb 22 2003, 11:12:31PM]:
> available, I don't really see many patches from them in the BTS.
> Similarly, I don't see many patches or bug reports from Knoppix or
> Knoppix users, although they are based on Debian.
Which patches do you expect from Knoppix? People like Knoppix because:
a) it has a good package combination for the majority of users (see your
answer to questions 3. and 7.). Someone has to draw the line and say:
this package is idiot-proof and makes more sence for new users, and
another one is not so good and wastes space that is more useful for
another software. This is a decission, based on subjective
impressions, and that is what I wish for the future Debian versions.
Sorting packages into "first-class" and "second-class" may be not
fair, but that is how the things work best.
b) Includes some software which is not available in Debian but
everywhere else, KDE3 for example.
c) It uses kudzu and a manuall written setup system, which is AFAIK a
bit i386-specific, but it works _good_ for initial setups while
Debian maintainers often try to avid making decissions and hope that
the user will fix it. For example, I do not know anyone who had
trouble with Knoppix creating XF86Config-4 with sane setup, but many
people having trouble with Debian's dexconf &Co. The following may be
bad analogy...
Knoppix, Kudzu from Redhat/Mandrake, happy Mandrake users, happy Knoppix users
vs.
Debian, discover from Progeny, not many happy Progeny users since they
are no more Progeny distribution products, not very happy _new_ Debian
users, Branden Robinson (from Progeny ;) as the X11 maintainer...
> backported Mozilla myself). However, there are many examples where
> there is no good reason. One example would the the unofficial KDE 3
> packages. They could have been done together with the KDE package
> maintainers, but they weren't and now there are lots of upgrade
> issues.
And who is to blame? It happens again and again, some maintainers
synchronise their work with other developments which time scopes are
hardly predictable. Examples: XFree-4.2, KDE3. People are impatient. It
would have been better to have KDE3 as soon as possible and go trough
the g++-3.2 transition 8 months later instead of insisting on making the
releases synchron.
> One huge problem Debian has is that many people go to big hardare
> vendors and want Debian pre-installed. However, those companies don't
> offer Debian due to various reasons. In most cases, it's a combinatin
> of a) Debian is not a company so we cannot make a support contract
> with them and b) Debian does not have a certification program so we
> cannot guarantee that our hardware will actually work with Debian
> ("we" being the hardware vendor).
What about creating some semi-official ring of Debian-Partners?
Something similar to partner companies and distributors of Fujitsu
Siemens. Managed by a good-sounding instance inside of Debian, say
"Partnership Committee".
> opportunity for Debian Developers to get support contracts or set up a
> company offering commercial support).
Or even so, I wonder what happened with that job database for Debian
developers that someone tried to setup last year.
> I cannot give you a status report of how those are working. Although
> I know that the ftpmasters are doing a very good job (for package
> removals and NEW packages, partly due to the new archive tools), I am
But sometimes they work not smooth. I remember waiting almost two weeks
when I simply renamed a binary package in one of my packages.
Gruss/Regards,
Eduard.
--
Die Operndiva gibt im Theater ein Konzert. Am Eingang hängt ein Schild: "Das
Mitbringen von Hunden ist untersagt." Nach dem Konzert hat jemand "Der
Tierschutzverein" daruntergeschrieben.
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