Re: [TCLUG:19247] A proposal for Debian...

[Philip C Mendelsohn <mend0070@tc.umn.edu>]

On Wed, 28 Jun 2000, ^chewie wrote:

> If there were ever to be a revolutionary change to how OS's are
> installed and maintained, this would be it.  Coupling the ease of use
> that 'apt' has given us with the quality control and flexibility that
> the above scheme would allow us, we could pound the market with job
> and quality specific installations of Debian Linux.

You brought up some good suggestions, but as Devil's Advocate, can I make
the point that standards are wonderful things, but compliance is another
matter entirely.  Making any version of any binary package available
leaves compliance up to the given sysop, doesn't it?

The real difference between the Debian distribution and any other is that
they make compliance with a standard the default, and you can break away
from it if you want.  The alternative, esposed by the other distros is
"anything goes" and everyone gets to make up their own standards.

I won't make judgements about which philosophy is more successful in the
end -- that largely depends on what the purpose of the computer in
question is.  I will say that I spend more time doing math or work on my
system than surfing or gaming, so stability is more desirability to me
than the age of any given component.

My point is that quality control and flexibility *may* prove to be
mutually exclusive.  Or more likely, opposite ends of a continuum.

Cheers,
Phil M

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