Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 01:38:17 +0000 From: David Hamilton <davidh@bearoak.com> To: lwn@eklektix.com Subject: Linux growing pains I like the new format, by the way. It makes it much easier to find information, now that there is so much information each week. :-))) Thanks for the editorial regarding responses to Linux appearing in the mainstream press. I have felt embarassment when seeing some of the flaming responses to an article that was simply naieve. It reminds me of the responses by "Mac-Bigots" over the past decade that have been a source of amusement to those in the mainstream press. But there is an important differnce with Linux -- there is no marketing department and/or PR department to mitigate the flames and provide the "voice of reason" regarding Linux. Members of the press who want to research Linux for an article are confronted by a maze of Linux-related web sites and cannot discern the mainstream from the factions. Some have assumed that the discussions on Slashdot speak for the majority -- the often silent majority. If they are dilligent, they can find lwn, Linux International, LG, and other sources of info. But it is confusing to them. They are so accustomed to receiving press releases that are carefully coordinated. Unfortunately, the situation also applies to commercial software vendors seeking to port to the Linux platform(s). RedHat has the largest installed base, but has shot itself in the foot repeatedly with releases that have been less-than-stable. Debian has the most stable environment, but can also be overtly hostile to commercial products. Caldera is stable but has a rather narrow focus. SuSE is a good product but has their own identity problems. Slackware has chosen not to participate in the growth. None has fully implemented the existing file system standards. This presents a dangerous situation, considering the current rate of growth and the number of commercial applications vendors that want to port to Linux. They are left with a choice between porting to the lowest common denominator, throwing their support behind one or two distributions, or releasing their own Linux distribution. I am a software developer. I use Debian on my primary development workstation, with a commercial X server to support dual-headed displays. My primary file / print / modem server runs FreeBSD. Another system runs the latest RedHat release + upgrades. Yet another dual boots to either Caldera or SuSE, to check compatibility. KDE is running one one of the systems, Gnome on another, and Fvwm on my primary workstation. Oh, and there is a Solaris system in there too, because I have to make a living. I feel like the (former) Yugoslavia of Linux. Those of various religious affiliations and "ethnic" lineages are espousing their sometimes narrow and sometimes divisionist views. Sometimes I think that the only thing that we all agree upon is the kernal and perl. :-)) As a respected member of the Linux press base, I ask you to create a press kit for the mainstream press, using the calm and unbiased view that you have so aptly demonstrated. Things are confusing enough for those of us in the middle of it. We need to take pity on the poor members of the mainstream press who are trying to discover Linux for themselves from the outside. --dh