Some Random Linux Observations

  • Ubuntu is the only Linux distro I know of that has its alpha
    releases slashdotted and dugg…which is a real shame; I think there
    are more that deserve this treatment from linux media sites.
  • Different Linux distros and desktop camps should recognize their differences as providing choice instead of being something that makes them different.
    They all have the same goals…to get people using open source software
    and to provide a great experience for the user.  Differences are always
    looked down upon.  Choice is usually a positive thing.  We should be
    positive.
  • When designing a new car, automobile manufacturers don’t
    build it first and then draft it out on paper.  Likewise, Linux architects should not write the code first before creating a draft or set of goals
    (whether it be a paper draft, documentation, or QA test cases) that visualize where you want to go.  A visual goal is better than written or said one.
  • For
    every Penguin Pete, there is a Ken Starks.  There are times when one
    outweighs the other.  The nice part is that in the Linux community, the
    Ken Starks have a longer lasting impact and touch more lives.
  • The Linux Desktop will never be “finished” and for that I am VERY glad.
  • Programmers should be more like the code they write…without bias, structured, and incapable of “talking down”.
  • Every distro ships with at least one thing broken.
  • Every distro ships with at least two things broken.
  • Every distro ships with things broken.
  • If Linux were a dog, it would NOT be purebred.
  • People
    can get excited about Linux because they can take part in it. People
    can’t get excited about Microsoft because they can’t take part in it.  It’s the difference between playing in the game and being on the sideline wishing you were in the game.
  • Categorizing something divides; why are we categorizing Linux and developers?
  • Linux fits well into big business, but big business does not fit well into Linux

By no means are these meant to point fingers…they are just observations.  Do you share some?  Do you have more to provide?  Please, let me know what you’ve seen in or out of your Linux community.

Author: devnet

devnet has been a project manager for a Fortune 500 company, a Unix and Linux administrator, a Technical Writer, a System Analyst, and a Systems Engineer during his 20+ years working with Technology.

12 thoughts on “Some Random Linux Observations”

  1. I buy into just about everything. I don’t, however, fully agree with this:

    “When designing a new car, automobile manufacturers don’t
    build it first and then draft it out on paper. Likewise, Linux architects should not write the code first before creating a draft or set of goals (whether it be a paper draft, documentation, or QA test cases) that visualize where you want to go. A visual goal is better than written or said one.”

    Most projects as you probably well know, Linux itself included, start out as a scratch to an itch. Rarely do they start as full blown projects with project goals, milestones, and…an end. If oss devs start having traditional software development methodologies applied to them, they’ll get scared and run! 🙂

  2. Ian,

    Thanks for the comment. You don’t have to agree with it…but software engineering best practices do agree with it. When you go to plan a house, you don’t just start building. You hire an architect to diagram it out. Just like that, software should also have a set of goals it wishes to accomplish OR a detailed draft plan (roadmaps, etc). Most software projects in the free software world DON’T have this…which is disheartening.

  3. [url=http://digg.com/linux_unix/openSUSE_11_1_Alpha_1]Wrong[/url]. Ok, only 8 people gave a damn. Otherwise, spot on. 🙂

  4. Ubuntu has really succeeded in its marketing. I wish Novell would do the same. But they seem to have chosen another strategy with the split between openSUSE and SLED/SLES.

  5. Every Linux distro has something to offer that other distros could learn from. We are all using linux (at least us linux users) which obviouly beats some other OS’s or we wouldn’t all be here. I love the freedom to choose.

  6. “For every Penguin Pete, there is a Ken Starks. There are times when one outweighs the other. The nice part is that in the Linux community, the Ken Starks have a longer lasting impact and touch more lives.”

    …that’s funny. If I have such a short impact, why is it we most recently dealt with each other over a year and a half ago, and yet you’re STILL not over me? Christ, I regarded you as an incidental distraction. You’re going to babbling about me to your grandkids.

    Now quit dropping my name and let me ego-surf in peace, thank you.

    “By no means are these meant to point fingers…they are just observations.”

    It just wouldn’t be a devnet speech without a lying denial.

  7. @Penguin Pete,

    Don’t flatter yourself too much…this post was made in August and done to show comparison. I was comparing a linux advocate that sits on their hind quarters and does nothing but suck air and talk about linux versus someone who goes out and gets things done with linux…you know, fake advocate versus real advocate.

    As for your impact, your dropped my name last July trying to lace me in again with Ken’s latest initiative…so I guess I owned you one with a name drop and association.

    And you regarded me much more than I regarded you my friend…your post count with my name in it proves it…or do your “incidental distractions” normally garner over 10 blog posts? Guess how many you got here? If you guessed 2, you nailed it. Those facts seem contrary to your statement eh? Oh well, you can’t win.

  8. “fake advocate versus real advocate.”

    Maybe that’s a point of misunderstanding. I have never claimed to be an advocate of Linux or anything else. My site’s about all of FOSS, including anything from Plan9 to BSD, and my purpose is to educate the public, empower them to increase their competency with technology, and sometimes merely to entertain with commentary on geek culture. I’ll leave the wringing of money for causes to you crusaders. 🙂

    Anyway, I see you’re going to get a little spike in traffic from search hits that were looking for me, but found you. So oh well, steal your candy, and I’ll get my amusement from dropping by to rile the easily riled. 🙂

  9. lol, spike. Good one.

    I get 20k uniques on this blog per day Pete…any traffic you might be responsible for is a drop in the bucket or a pebble in the road.

    It takes much more to rile me Pete…you’ll need to find another project out there that you can lump me into and make up more lies about.

  10. Great post! I completely agree. Although Ubuntu is a very good distro and has converted a lot of people, distros like Fedora, Mandriva, Suse, and others have the same ease of install and use. They all deserve a lot of press in my opinion!

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