Some of my Kubuntu-Hoary tweaks

[Abdullah Ramazanoglu]

Jonathan Byrne dedi ki:
> On Friday 15 April 2005 08:53, Abdullah Ramazanoglu wrote:
> 
>> fat32, and ntfs. But what good is it to have jfs, xfs, etc marginally
>> used FS supports on the space starvant CD?
> 
> The first couple things that come to mind are:
> 
> 1) It takes very little extra space to have these available;
> 
> 2) I prefer XFS, and all of my partitions except /boot and / use it
> (grub has some issues with XFS, at least sometimes), including
> my /home.  If the installer only did ext3 and Reiser and I had to
> format my partitions in Reiser, I could live with that, but if XFS
> support were removed entirely and I had to compile a new kernel just to
> mount my /home, how likely do you think it is that I would bother?
> (Hint: Answers other than "zero" don't count.)

"0h"! :)

Seriously, I didn't mean completely removing kernel support. I was
imagining that the FS support parts that can't be modularized are included
in the kernel, and the modular parts made into separate packages. Thus,
only relevant kernel modules and -more importantly- supporting toolset are
excluded from the CD, which can be installed over the 'net at will.

> XFS and JFS may not be as widely used as ext3, and maybe not even as
> widely used as Reiser, but they are excellent file systems and are used
> by some people, so IMO they should be included so as to include those
> people in Ubuntu. I chucked all of my Debian Sid and Sarge installs in
> favor of Ubuntu, and I would not have done that if XFS were not
> supported.  Also, people using XFS or JFS are usually not beginners, so
> they are a part of the community we don't want to drive off because
> they can help others who are new to Linux.

I believe this is addressing *the* most strategical, even vital, decision
Kubuntu will have to take. Namely, "Exactly for whom is Kubuntu?" We,
established Linux user base, can do well and be happy (from pragmatical
POV) with just about any Linux distro. I don't *need* Kubuntu for myself,
and I guess neither you do. There are already a boatload of Linux distros
out there, which I could use equally well. So what am I doing here in
Kubuntu? What's so special about it? Below is my own humble opinions only.

For me, it's the potential promise of Kubuntu becoming the ultimate "casual
desktop end-user" distro. I.e. the Linux distro of the world. The average
skill and interest scope of that world is quite different than erstwhile
Linux users. If Kubuntu will become just another Linux distro for the same
established Linux user base, than thanks a lot, but I'm equally at home
with others already. In that case Kubuntu means a big fat nothing for me. 

But if Kubuntu will become *the* Linux distro for the world at large, than
it has a raison d'etre. Which is the only viable reason I can see why
Kubuntu should exist in the first place, and why it is so important.
What's more, everything perfectly meets together in Kubuntu for this
mission, with it's KDE orientation (which happens to be the DE favored by
the masses), with it's Debian roots (both being true to OSS philosophy and
complementing it as the desktop).

Now, I never meant excluding community members from Kubuntu, please don't
get me wrong. But I believe Kubuntu should particularly address the
non-members. That doesn't make an uninhabitable place for erstwhile Linux
users, but just demands a tiny bit of flexibility on their part. For
example I'm a considerable vi user, but I promote vi (along with emacs and
all) excluded from the CD in favor of nano. I can try to live with nano,
or I can install it over the Net. The point is, majority should be served
by the CD, while minority installs their vartical apps over the Net. This
is the correct approach, AFAICS.

While we're at it, (fasten your seat belt, don't fall down :) I also
promote any and all console tools totally excluded from the CD except the
ones cruicial for system maintenance for which there's no GUI equivalent,
and the ones which are needed to bring up X when it gets busted. Frankly
this is the sole reason why I accept nano should be included in the CD (so
as to edit xorg.conf when X doesn't work).

There is a fatal danger waiting ahead for Kubuntu: It is being designed and
shaped by technically oriented people (naturally), and it is all to easy
to fall for personal preferences, augmented by the pressure from
established Linux old timers, and gradually turn Kubuntu into just another
geeky Linux distro. Then the game is over. I can't emphasize enough how
cruicial this is for the success of Linux among the grand masses.

It's not enough to be the top Linux distro: Linux-X stealing user base from
Linux-Y. So what? OTOH, Kubuntu is ripe for conquering the world, and I
believe we should push it that way. Even if it demands certain flexibility
on our part. IMHO.

Best regards
-- 
Abdullah Ramazanoglu
aramazan ÄT myrealbox D0T cöm