Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on November 06, 2004 03:18 AM
The article says (and I'm sure we all seen others), to paraphrase, that there is too much choice for the average joe, and that there needs to be standards. The first part is completely understandable, yes, there are a bajillion distros out there, all aiming for (or just out there) for a specific niche (DSL) or trying to pander to everyone (Debian, for example). There's even the handholders (Lindows).
The second part, and where the problem lies, is in the standards bit. First off, who makes them? Who is smart enough to know what everyone needs? Sure, there's stuff like FSH, but if you're DSL, sometimes you have to break the rules to fit it in. Second, how do you impose them? The GPL allows you to take the code at ANY TIME and make your own project, and if you want to break the standards, nobody can stop you. The LSB is really just a goodwill committie, I guarantee you if they try to enforce something that hurts a bottom line somewhere, vendors will jet.
The difference between MS homgenization and Linux fractionation is one thing, and one thing only: MS has money. Money has clout. Therefore, MS has clout, and uses it to enforce one feel, one look, and for joe average, that's worth the money they forked over for the OS. Not having to deal with idiosyncrasies every time you sit down at a new computer is good, I'll agree.
Don't get me wrong, I like Linux too, but half the time I get frustrated with the cheerleaders when they just yell "standards". If you're soo damn smart that you can see that and everyone else can't, then make some standards and try to enforce them. It basically amounts to a loss of freedom on the part of the developers. However, Darwin is at work, and eventually there will be a standard, just like the skeleton is a standard for most animals on earth - it just works. Check your local fossil record and tell me there weren't funky abortive attempts to make wierd lifeforms off that basic body plan, though.
Learn about Linux
Download Linux
Get Linux help
There's a problem with this, though
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on November 06, 2004 03:18 AMThe second part, and where the problem lies, is in the standards bit. First off, who makes them? Who is smart enough to know what everyone needs? Sure, there's stuff like FSH, but if you're DSL, sometimes you have to break the rules to fit it in. Second, how do you impose them? The GPL allows you to take the code at ANY TIME and make your own project, and if you want to break the standards, nobody can stop you. The LSB is really just a goodwill committie, I guarantee you if they try to enforce something that hurts a bottom line somewhere, vendors will jet.
The difference between MS homgenization and Linux fractionation is one thing, and one thing only: MS has money. Money has clout. Therefore, MS has clout, and uses it to enforce one feel, one look, and for joe average, that's worth the money they forked over for the OS. Not having to deal with idiosyncrasies every time you sit down at a new computer is good, I'll agree.
Don't get me wrong, I like Linux too, but half the time I get frustrated with the cheerleaders when they just yell "standards". If you're soo damn smart that you can see that and everyone else can't, then make some standards and try to enforce them. It basically amounts to a loss of freedom on the part of the developers. However, Darwin is at work, and eventually there will be a standard, just like the skeleton is a standard for most animals on earth - it just works. Check your local fossil record and tell me there weren't funky abortive attempts to make wierd lifeforms off that basic body plan, though.
#