Binary incompatibility of Linux distributions

[Bryan]

I think new comes to linux have different expectations out of linux
experience, regardless of distro,  than they do out of Windows or OS
X.  In Linux everyone wants the latest and greatest.  They don't want
to wait for packages to be made for their Operating System.   They
don't want to wait for it to come out of beta, or even alpha
sometimes.  They see some popular blog showcasing some neat new
feature of an upcoming version of their favorite app and they race to
get it, only to get disappointed that Pidgin or  <insert name of
application> doesn't make rpms for Redhat and rpms for Suse, and debs
for Ubuntu, and this package type for this OS and this package type
for that.  They generally have the dmg's, the exe's and the tarballs.
Or just tarballs if its a linux only application.    It's not a fault
of the kernel nor the OS that the software makers aren't prepackaging
for 10,000 distros.    It's not the software maker's fault or the OS's
fault that people are impatient.

And to repeat Linux..is not an operating system and does absolutely NO
PACKAGE MANAGEMENT, that's up to the operating systems/distros.
Package management is something that defines most individual distros.
They each have their advantages and disadvantages.   RPM and the DEB
systems are incredibly different and they cannot be "unified".  The
only way for the distros to achieve compatibility is for them to agree
on one package type, for them to re-do their OS particular file
hierarchy.  Etc..But if they do that, what exactly makes them a
distro?  What separates them from the next guy? Nothing except
branding.

Competition and choice aids package managers in improving themselves
and getting ideas from others.  Personally, I love pacman, i love apt,
yum isn't half bad, i don't care for yast too much, emerge is awesome.

At the end of the day though, MOST people, myself included, rarely
have to install anything from source.  It's usually in the
repositories on the given distro.  If not, their's sites like getdeb,
there is sites that host RPMs.   And even if you must compile from
source, as mentioned before, it's not an overly complex process.
configure make make install.  Most of the time if there's an error
about a missing dependency the output tells you so and you can usually
use your package mananger/OS repo's to get the dependency.

Lastly: http://linux.oneandoneis2.org/LNW.htm

On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 10:39 AM, Michael Haney <thezorch at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've found that some people in the Linux community either ignore or
> refuse to accept the harsh reality that the average user expects Linux
> to have certain features expected of a modern operating system, and
> having to compile code to make software work with your OS not one of
> them.
>
> Mark Shuttleworth wants Ubuntu to be a success, and that's defined as
> Ubuntu having a market share large enough that it starts to edge out
> Windows.  This is a view which most Ubuntu users have and the views
> and attitudes of most Linux Purists just isn't compatible with
> Ubuntu's philosophy.  Its not a Linux distro targeted at the Purists,
> if you want a distro that is go with Slackware instead.  Ubuntu is
> targeted at the average Jane/Joe Windows User, and they have a set of
> expectations which must be address in order for Ubuntu to be a
> successful alternative to Windows.  Linux Purists who use Ubuntu will
> have to live with the reality that 90% of the user base want the
> distro to be competitive with Windows and eventually gain a higher
> market share.
>
> If you can't deal with this then its time to move on to a more Linux
> Purist compatible distro.
>
> --
> Michael "TheZorch" Haney
> thezorch at gmail.com
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