Re: Xandros, Lindows, Debian, the future of distros

[mike808@users.sourceforge.net]

> CW has been pretty forthcoming about the limitations of
> their product, which I respect quite a bit.

I do too. Especially the Quicktime player integration. Also one of the
few non-GPL, non-OS Linux players that's had some success. I know CW is
based on WINE, but what they're really selling is their installer/management
application. And DIY is far, far more painful than giving up the measly $50
they want for their software so you can run the few, remaining Windows-only
applications that you must.

> If most of the work Xandros has put into their distro is proprietary,
> then yes, their code will die with the company (assuming it dies).

From what I can tell from using it, the only proprietary pieces are the
CW plugin+office, and the "File Manager" they got from Corel. I haven't
played with the file manager enough to know why it's better than, say, 
Konqueror or Nautilus. Also, their installer focuses on delivering the
"10 most wanted" items they set out to do. Resizing XP partitions to make
room for your Linux is a big plus. I don't know if that part is also
Corel-proprietary or GPL'd. I haven't seen other distros advertise that
function in their installs yet. (I'm NOT talking about FAT32 resizing).

> Now, I don't claim any special bias towards Lindows.  Their recent
> actions have me plenty disturbed, especially seeing how Bruce Perens has
> reacted.  But I still give credit where credit is due, and they are due
> some credit for their positive engagement of Debian in the past.

Though, I think I see a special bias towards Debian peeking out here... :=)

  Xandros: No nods to Debian = thumbs down.
  Lindows: Kudos to Debian = thumbs up.

Not my basis for "qualifying" a distro, but to each his/her own.

> Microsoft's subscription model, as I've heard it described, is a little
> different from RHN, Click-N-Run, etc.  The various Linux distributors
> let you use the software you've downloaded after your subscription runs
> out; you're just on your own regarding updates.  MS, on the other hand,
> wants Office to shut off if you stop feeding the meter.

But that's the ProprietaryWay(tm). If you pick and choose who can run your
software through horrible, abusive EULAs, then figuring out how to take away
what people think they've already paid for without them catching on is their
problem. But, they're all in the game of turning software from one-time
purchases into subscriptions with recurring revenue.

> > The value will come down to how well they will execute the "tweaks" required
> > to integrate package updates with their particular distribution. I think
> > a lot of energy is going into figuring out how to implement a "rolling 
> > release" type of distribution. The market pressures are moving there, and
> > we see this in the announcements of shorter release cycles. First annual,
> > and quickly moving to 6 months. A key problem is the broadband vs. CD
> > delivery mechanism.
> 
> I *really* like how you say that. :-)

Feel free to quote me. Or ask me to roundtable on the subject... :=)

> Adding a CD to a distro package costs real money.  I can see why they'd
> be keen on reducing the disk count, especially if they can provide a
> service to replace the disks.  As a customer, I'd sure rather run long
> downloads than pay $$$ per CD extra upfront for software I might never
> use.  YMMV, of course.

It's the "long downloads" part that rubs people's instant gratification 
button the wrong way. The "I paid $30 _and_ I have to download for three
days to finish installing this thing?" problem of Jane and Joe Dialup is 
very real to them. And they wonder about tying up their one phone line for 
that long and their uncertainty about restarts after interruptions.

> The only way to make this work is to put a spin on it that makes it
> better than apt alone.  Click-N-Run, for example, is all set to
> distribute proprietary software as well as free software, since they
> have full control over the delivery mechanism.  I'm sure Xandros is
> looking at the same angle.

One thing that is clear - add some other apt repository, and your support
disappears. That's vital to the commercial / corporate users. When the
apt repositories become the chokepoints, we'll start to see subscription
fees rise. I wouldn't put it past universities that currently host these
resources for free try to get in on some cost recovery action. Particularly
when those served are not usually taxpayers of the entity funding the
university.

> People are just now waking up to the advantages of freedom.  It will be
> interesting to see how closed-source vendors react.

Yes. Even the closed-source vendors that play in the Linux and GPL arenas.
What's disconcerting is that it is very likely, due to our corporate suckups
and lackeys in DC, the U.S. will NOT be the place where the origin, creation,
and exercise of these freedoms take place.

Increasingly, we will see more ideas and their benefits fleeing the U.S.
in order to escape the tyranny of our Intellecual Persecution(tm) (IP) laws.

Mike808/


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