On Mon, Dec 01, 2003 at 10:56:30PM +0100, Robert Millan wrote:
> On Mon, Dec 01, 2003 at 03:10:28PM -0500, Perry E.Metzger wrote:
> >
> > If one wants Linux, there is Linux, and one doesn't need to do any
> > work. If one wants to marry the advantages of NetBSD with the Debian
> > tools, then getting rid of the interesting things about NetBSD won't
> > achieve the desired result. glibc has never struck me as especially
> > stunningly nifty, but I suppose others have their own tastes.
>
> This is not about the Debian tools, you can have Debian tools even on NetBSD
> and get them into the ports collection.
>
> It's about the GNU libc and userland, which are the standard in Debian and
> I see no reason to replace them.
For the record, probably 70% of the email that I've seen on this list
falls somewhere under the category of a single, perpetual, floating
discussion/argument/flamewar.
To wit:
NetBSD/FreeBSD/OpenBSD?
GNU libc or native libc? (I've never seen another alternative, IIRC)
GNU userland or native userland?
These have never been solved; there are salient points of argument for and
against each. In the time-tested tradition, we've had a bunch of time spent
on scattered development efforts, some of which have made it further than
others.
Many of them have caused improvements to Debian as a whole, and not
infrequently to upstream software.
I believe my preferences are well established, and if anyone is in doubt
of the rationale, I'm happy to explain it - in private email.
I would say that the general GNU userland is standard to Debian, in that
people expect the 'ls' to be GNU ls, and similar things. I am vastly more
hesitant to ascribe the GNU libc the same status, entirely because users
*do not* normally see it, in any fashion, and the very GNU userland that is
Debian's default is entirely capable of working with other libc packages
just fine.
But then, I suppose that may come of my actual goal, which pretty much
boils down to: "I want to feel like I'm running a Debian system, and be
able to administer it with the same commands as any other Debian system,
but I want to have a choice about what's under the hood, in case I have
technical reasons to prefer something other than Linux + Glibc".
(In fact, I even have some fairly real-world situations in mind that would
vastly benefit from have neither of the two, which is why I cared enough to
start working on it, origionally; they're less relevant, now, since I no
longer work at that job).
--
Joel Baker <fenton@debian.org> ,''`.
Debian GNU NetBSD/i386 porter : :' :
`. `'
`-
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