Re: [linrad] Real Linux Users

["Rein A. Smit" <rein0zn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

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.

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.

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.

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,

BTW is Mandrake German Or French?

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.
>
>
>  


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