Re: Disappointed with Ubuntu.

Day Brown wrote:

<snip>
Mandriva has a set of administration utilities grouped in a Mandriva
Control Center. There's one for setting log-on preferences.
I just dont understand, why, with all the zillions of home single user
desktops, its not SOP during the install to ask if that's what I want.
<snip>

I think there are a number of interrelated concerns that yield this result.
One is that when most people start a software installation process, they
want it completed as quickly as possible. Developers and competing Linux
distribution managers understand this, and tend to remove from the setup
routine anything that is not required there.

Another concern from the developers' viewpoint is that the installation
program's capabilities are rather simple compared to the complex abilities
of the full operating system. In order to keep the setup programming
simpler rather than more complicated, what can be postponed until after the
system is booted into the new operating system is postponed. With the new
kernel in control and all the utilities available, whatever initial system
administration that needs to be done can be accomplished with the full
power of the operating system available, rather than just the limited setup
program.

The flip-side of these concerns, which is avoided by opting for a simpler
setup routine, is that if all of the combinations of questions and answers
that the wide variety of different users might possibly ask were asked and
allowed to be answered during the setup process, that process would be very
long, and require a very complicated setup program to accomplish.

<snip>
You may wish to check out the Linux From Scratch distribution, the point
of which is to allow you to start from a minimum of source files and
build your own customized distribution. This is not for beginners or the
faint of heart, but it can result in you having a unique operating
system that meets your preferences as closely as you desire.
Yeah, been there too. Again, I dont understand, why with so many using
the X86, stuff hasta be compiled rather than just downloaded already to
go on a PC.

Already-compiled and ready-to-run software is what is usually downloaded and
installed, then booted and used without further compilation. Yes, source
code is available for people to download and compile if they wish to do so,
but the majority of users don't go to those lengths. Yes, there are Linux
distributions, such as Gentoo, that try to facilitate a custom-compiled
operating system, but only a minority of Linux users choose that route.
Even further removed from the usual setup and initial system administration
process is the Linux From Scratch process, which allows a user to entertain
his or her inner geek by starting from as close as possible to bare metal
hardware and building, file by file, a custom-compiled operating system.

One advantage of custom compilation is that the resulting binary will take
advantage of all of the features of the available processor, not just the
generic X86 characteristics common to multiple generations of processors.
Another advantage, especially from the LFS process, is that the person who
completes the process knows a lot more about the details of the OS than the
user who just downloads and boots into generic binaries.

There is a lot of user preference here. Some people only allow in their home
flowers delivered from the local florist's shop. Other people prefer wild
flowers they have collected themselves. Yet other people prefer to grow
their own flowers, and are prepared and willing to do the extra work
necessary to get just the bouquets they prefer. Some Linux users just
download binaries, others mix and match from various sources, and yet
others grow their own from scratch.


Ken
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: About traceroute and netstat
    ... May be I should setup a computer with Linux. ... Home page has download mirrors for the LE2005. ...
    (comp.os.linux.networking)
  • Re: First time post - First time Linux
    ... I need some help on Linux! ... I know that it is an operating system. ... What distribution do I download? ...
    (alt.os.linux)
  • Trying Out Linux On PCs
    ... To William Buckley, ... Just finished your interesting article on the operating system Linux. ... They can download or order a CD ...
    (microsoft.public.excel)
  • Re: Chipmunks on WMP9 and cant update!!
    ... setup error- this setup does not support installing on this operating system" ... This download page definitely lists Win98 and later ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsmedia.player)
  • Downloading recordings from Sanyo DSR3716 Digital Video Recorder
    ... Downloading recordings from a Sanyo DSR3716 to a PC is limited to 1000 ... Furthermore the way download is implemented in the CCTV ... colleague of mine thought that the operating system of this recorder ... is Linux based, so removing the hard disk and connect it to a Linux ...
    (rec.video)