RE: Propossed Project: Odyssey
FYI there's already an Odyssey project in the windows software world. It's
a client server point of sale project for a large wholesaler that should be
for sale to the public next year. Not sure if this matters, just passing
along the flotsam and jetsam.
John Purser
-----Original Message-----
From: Alex de Landgraaf [mailto:alextreme@xs4all.nl]
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 17:21
To: debian-devel@lists.debian.org; debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Propossed Project: Odyssey
First, i would like to thank everyone for their opinions, some are very
interesting. I'll try to cover them all in one post, forgive me if i
don't answer everyone personally :)
Okay, lets tackle the hardest first:
- Why put a lot of effort to start a project from scratch, when that
effort could be used to make Debian better?
Note, i never said that this should be started from scratch. The Debian
we all use would be perfect to start from. But i don't believe that
Debian will be a desktop from a users point of view. I don't know how
Debian 3.0 will look like, installer, default packages, configuration
and general ease-of-use, but now Debian is a perfect system: for a
geek...
Also, Debian focuses on its rock-solid stability and sturdiness. This is
wonderful, but Debian isn't moving very fast, IMHO. There are so many
packages avalible and they all need to work well to be added to the
distribution. Using Woody would (pun intended :) work, but it still is
quite a hassle to set things up "like they should be". My proposal is to
only take those packages that would be needed in an end-user system to
create a more sleek, fine-tuned distribution where the focus lies on
effectiveness towards the end-user.
And effort used in this project wouldn't be effort not waisted on
Debian. Who says ideas could not also be fed back into Debian?
- Why use Debian? (use mandrake!):
Important point, but why isn't mandrake being used by all those users
today? I don't know, but keeping a system up-to-date is sure a lot
easier with Debian. And what will happen to mandrake if the company
cashflow dries up?
I personally havn't tried the latest Mandrake (or the new RedHat, for
that matter). Does anyone have more pro's and con's about these
distro's? Are they an alternative?
- www.boxedpenguin.com:
I like that penguin :)
This is a neat project, i'm aiming for something in that direction, but
instead for users (as apossed to developers/engineers). If my propossed
project is accepted, we could use source/ideas from this project.
- Make the project in public! (No Debian Project):
Maybe. I don't know why we should or shouldn't make it a Debian Project.
Seemed like, as it is built ontop of Debian, it should be, and i
wouldn't like it to be "just" another project in the dark. Maybe it's
just fear of drifting to far :)
How does Debian stand towards its projects? Any first-hand experience
with the difference between a project "here" and "outside"?
- Should users be able to administer their own computers? Most can't
even program a VCR!
Yes. No :)
The problem is that most Operating Systems (and VCR's for that matter ;)
have way to many features. KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid :)
And I wasn't actually talking about NT, more about having being able to
install the system at home. Now that should be simple ;)
- www.libranet.com
Havn't heard from it before, downloading it as i write this. No use in
doing things twice! I'll test it, and maybe put my efforts in it
instead. Depends on how good it is :)
There was also a post about Largo (i read it before, i think, but thanks
anyway). Note that these people mostly have never used that Other OS at
work before. The system they use is also highly customised, and although
it works for them, creating the same system would take quite some work
(not to mention the problems they would have if a key sysadmin would
leave...)
Used by anyone, Installed by anyone, Admined by anyone. Yups, that sums
most of it up. But like i said above, it should be kept simple! Even
though the task of creating and completing such a project is everything
but simple :)
Also, there was a mention about Progeny (and that it is dead :). Thats
what i ment about having a company make distro's (and kewl stuff in
general): it's great while it lasts :)
If libranet isn't what i am aiming for, and if the will to help our poor
users is here, we could learn (plunder?/loot?) Progeny's idea's. It may
be wise to continue where Progeny stumbled.
The idea of update pack's sounds very neat, would solve a large part of
the problem (for both users and the regular Debian-geeks).
Oh well, we'll see how things turn out. Great to see all these
suggestions flying around!
Alex de Landgraaf
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