Re: [linrad] Real Linux Users

["John Harrison, NI1B" <jmh6@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Rein and all,

   Comments below.

   john


On Thu, 30 Oct 2003, Rein A. Smit wrote:

> 
>  
> Hello John,
> 
> Thanks again. Good information.
> 
> So Mandrake came later on board! I think a lot of the differences, if
> any, appear to be in the directories. It appears that often files are in
> a certain place in one distribution and in another different directory 
> in the other
> distribution. This generates these messages "can't find this or that file"
> Also the install procedures might be different for the different 
> distributions.

AFAIK the directory structure of Mandrake is much more "correct" (whatever
that means.)

Red Hat was the pioneer and thus had to "invent" some things. Some of them
were adopted, some were not. You get the idea.

> 
> I do not know much how an outfit as Mandrake goes about it. Do they take
> the code that is in the public domain and then rewrite code to do what? 
> Make it
> work more efficient or smoother. Perhaps more automated to install etc. etc.

Yes, sort of. The setup up and install tools are typically not covered by
the GPL. Even so most vendors choose to eventually release their tools
under the GPL. And of course debian is totally GPL.

> 
> Perhaps the bad impressions have to do with that they came later or had 
> troubles
> when they went to the marketplace first. I have seen that they are 
> virtually on the ropes.

> 
> The big puzzle for me is how can one run a business when numerous people 
> put copies
> of software on the market for the cost of the CD that stores the code.

A very good question. So far it seems to be working, at least for some.
Thank goodness :))  MUCH better software. MUCH more reliable. MUCH more
responsive to customer needs.

> 
> In any case I am using it here for Linrad and though I have not really 
> used it
> as a replacement for MS software in term of word-processing, 
> spreadsheets, internet
> activities,  etc., I find it working nicely, fast and crisp.
> 
> The problems with the drivers are probably universal and across 
> distributions.
> 
> I also do not quite understand where the concept of open source is 
> going  and
> whether it will remain,

It will probably remain at this point. Unless Microsoft/SCO/whomever
manages to convince some judge that GPL isn't GPL or some other GROSS
miscarriage of justice. So far that doesn't look likely, but there are
some VERY BIG guns taking aim right now. Still, I bet they won't be able
to change anything. Once the source code is out their, the cat IS out of
the bag.

Things sure are better than in the old (Microsoft dominated) days :)))

> 
> BTW is Mandrake German Or French?

  I don't know.
  
> 
> Thanks again and 73,
> 
> Rein W6/PA0ZN
>    
>     
> 
> John Harrison, NI1B wrote:
> 
> >Hi Rein,
> >
> >  You ask what is special or unspecial about Mandrake.
> >
> >  Well RedHat had a pretty good distribution (things just worked) that
> >they had worked very hard on. And then Mandrake came along with a "cheap"
> >copy (initially) of it, or so it was said. 
> >
> >  That said, the Mandrake distribution just keeps getting better. The
> >current areas of difference tend to be which "office suite" is included
> >and who has which "closed source" drivers included. Once 9.2 settles down
> >(most bugs are fixed), I will probably download it and try it myself.
> >
> >  The driver issue is not often openly talked about since based on the GPL
> >(GNU public license) , the sources for ALL the code "should" be included.
> >
> >  Thus winmodems are often unsupported, and as we have heard many audio
> >cards.
> >
> >  regards,
> >  john
> >
> >p.s.- I don't mean to imply I am any sort of guru. But I did kick
> >Microsoft out of my life quite a few years ago :)) <--VERY happy too.
> >
> >
> >  
> >
> 

LINRADDARNIL