It's not about what Debian or Ubuntu aren't doing
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| Steven_Rosenber Mar 22, 2010 5:44 PM EDT |
For better or worse, Debian appears to be exactly where it wants to be. As a user of Debian, I often wonder what can or should be done to increase its use. I'm not sure exactly what can be done. I've probably written a few hundred posts about it, and maybe 60 percent didn't even include whining and complaining. What more can I say than Debian is there if you want it. Most Ubuntu users, if they get even a little bit deep into it, learn that their favorite brown-now-purple distro is based on Debian. And why wouldn't you want to check out Debian for that reason alone? Developers might disagree, but I think Ubuntu is probably the best thing that ever happened to Debian in terms of driving interest in the "parent" distro. Debian doesn't really appear to be looking for the same kind of user as Ubuntu, which appears to be trying very hard to bring over technically minded and curious users of non-Linux systems. I have no figures to back this up, but my sense of the Ubuntu community is that a great portion of it is made up of users who have more than a bit of experience with Linux but who share the mission of spreading Linux to the rest of the world while also using the system in a more "advanced" way. Sure Ubuntu needs to keep its most fervent users happy, but the real prize isn't the fanboy but everybody else. In this case vision and democracy are opposed. Look at Microsoft: Gates and now Ballmer make the decisions. Apple: It's all Steve Jobs; if he doesn't like it, they don't do it. Now we have Ubuntu, and Mark Shuttleworth definitely seems to see himself in this same role. Why shouldn't he? It's his company, his money. Developers, paid or not, can vote with their feet. Shuttleworth appears to be trying to lead his community while being led by it just enough but not too much. The great thing about free, open-source software is that anybody who wants to do the work can create their own project, be it an application or a distro. Both Debian and Ubuntu are huge achievements. Ubuntu has huge ambitions, and in my view it appears to be making some headway. For Ubuntu to succeed, it needs to do whatever it can to grow its user base on a continual basis. Things like UbuntuOne, the music store and a Mac vibe all seem well-aimed at grabbing more users. |
| Bob_Robertson Mar 22, 2010 5:47 PM EDT |
> It's hard to please both the newbie and the fanboy. You see, you can't please everyone, So you've got to please yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lazLmgDuGRo |
| tmx Mar 22, 2010 6:52 PM EDT |
-So you've got to please yourself. Why didn't I started living by philosophy from the beginning? *lightbulb* |
| cabreh Mar 23, 2010 4:22 AM EDT |
"You can't please everybody, So you got to please yourself" Ah yes Garden Party. I remember that song. Rick Nelson. |
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