Bryan J. Smith wrote:
>
> My main thing is that people use apps, not OSes. But people tend to
> evaluate Linux almost entirely on the installer, or the OS without the
> apps -- or by attempting to run Windows applications "emulated." That's
> not Linux at all.
I'm not sure what you think a distribution is, actually. A
distribution, in terms of the OS available for a person to install on a
computer, is pretty much two things:
1. an installer
2. a system for managing software
In the case of package-based distros, that means it's an installer and a
package management system. For something like Gentoo, it's an installer
and a port management system. Beyond that, Linux is Linux. They all
use the same kernel (the Linux kernel, thus the name), possibly with
some patched-in variations (defaulted by the installer), and they all
make use of the same software (with variations in what's available based
on the software management system, and variations in what's installed by
default determined by the installer).
As such, it's no surprise at all that people judge a distribution by its
installer, and I don't see that as the Bad Thing you seem to think it
is. Really, the only other variables that directly affect the
differences between distros are support and likely future plans for
design of the installer and software management systems. That support,
again, tends to tie into the software management system.
There are other things associated with various distributions, of course,
and they can factor into one's choice of distribution. For instance,
the strength and prevalence of the community that exists around a given
distro might make a difference. That's not, strictly speaking, a part
of the distribution, though. Even if the Debian community dried up
tomorrow (yeah right), the Debian distribution would still be the Debian
distribution, with no (immediate) changes to it.
So, to make a long ramble short: I don't see how judging a distribution
by its installer is so bad. Obviously you do.
The rest . . . is just flame bait.
ignore++;
-- Chad ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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