Binary incompatibility of Linux distributions

[Mike McGinn]

On Wednesday 20 May 2009 10:39:52 am Michael Haney 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
> http://thezorch.googlepages.com/home
> Skype: thezorch (Voice and/or Chat)
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> MSN Messeger: haneymichael at hotmail.com
> Free Your Computer from the Tyranny of Microsoft www.ubuntu.com

I'll believe Mark Shuttleworth's intentions are true only if the Intel video 
driver bug gets fixed before Karmic -- see below:
 HOWTO: Jaunty Intel Graphics Performance Guide
Overview
Some users are experiencing performance issues with Intel integrated graphics 
chips in Jaunty (9.04) for several possible reasons:

   1. The current driver in our repository has some performance issues with 
the EXA acceleration method. Users will notice 2D performance is poor due to 
the default "migration heuristic" employed by EXA (to "always" migrate 
pixmaps), but this causes performance issues for many users. Setting the 
heuristic to "greedy" alleviates this problem somewhat. See "man exa".
   2. The new and faster acceleration method (UXA) is not enabled by default, 
due to issues reported by many users. This code is being actively developed, 
and many stability and performance issues have been resolved in the latest 
drivers (specifically within the intel driver, libdrm, mesa and the latest 
kernel 2.6.29.3). Unfortunately, Jaunty will not include the latest versions 
necessary to improve performance.

** Actions speak louder than words. I am sure I am not the only one who wpuld 
have stayed with Intrepid had I known this before upgrading.

-- 
Mike McGinn
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My deeds are my dearest companions.  I am the beneficiary of my deeds.
My deeds are the ground on which I stand.
"more kidneys than eyes!" "Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit."
Registered Linux User 377849