Re: Why does Ubuntu have all the ideas?

[Knut Yrvin <knuty@skolelinux.no>]

Lørdag 26 august 2006 15:15, skrev Theodore Tso:
> No support for: (The * are critical)
>
>         * SATA Hard Drives (*)
>         * IPW3945 wireless (*)
>         * Intel AD1981 HD Audio (*)
>         * 3D Graphics support on the ATI FireGL V5200 card
>                 (propietary kernel module)
>         * Verizon 1xEV-DO
>
> Pretty much all of the modern hardware on the T60 is completely
> unsupported by Debian; and most of the above is supported out of the
> box by Unbuntu.

A list of version numbers on important software packages on the test 
version of Debian-edu/Skolelinux (The Kubuntu Dapper version number in 
parenthesis): 

- Kernel 2.16.2  (2.6.15)
- X.org 7.0  (7.0)
- KDE 3.5.4  (3.5.2)
- Firefox 1.5.0.4  (1.5.0.3)
- OpenOffice.org 2.0.3  (2.0.2)

Hopefully people will download the image(s) for testing[1] and give us 
feedback to improve the solution[2]: 

1. http://ftp.skolelinux.no/cd-etch-test/debian-edu-i386-binary-1.raw
2. http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEdu

When etch is pretty stabilised in November, three months from now, i'll 
install Skolelinux based on etch on my new Thinkpad X60s. Just now we 
are improving the laptop support inspired and with reusing work done by 
the Unbuntu developers. 

Some new software developed by the Ubuntu team is really good from an 
end user perspective. We includes that too. Important work is also done 
to improve the support for thin clients and diskless workstations with 
the project MueKow[3]. 

3. http://wiki.debian.org/LTSPDevelopment

There are still patching issues that has to be addressed in Ubuntu to 
reduce the friction against Debian developers. Debian should be treated 
as upstream to certain extent, and more that is done today. I believe 
*Ubuntu will gain by that because of their business model is based on 
services and tailoring. In general there are still some licencing 
issues with proprietary decoders for video and other proprietary 
solutions where free software still does not have a counterpart, and we 
have to install decoders and such from proprietary vendors (Flash, wmv 
support etc.). 

In Norway we also promote support for fri software and have a dialog on 
governmental level to make support and use of free software as easy as 
it is when using proprietary solutions. The government has already told 
us that open standards is their goal[4]. The left wing government 
elected in 2005 has "increase the use of free software" as their 
political platform. They will follow up and strengthen the former right 
wing party's policy that was “Proprietary formats will no longer be 
acceptable in communication between citizens and government.”

4. http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/4403/469

I hope that we can use the feedbacks and our experiences in user space 
to improve Debian and other Debian derivatives.  Gnu/Linux systems has 
still a little fraction of the desktop marked. The Skolelinux project 
aims to get good solutions on our CDs to the schools. Other distroes 
has other aims. The most productive approach is to help each other to 
make the best distro in the world for different groups of users. 

Best regards

Knut Yrvin