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Re: [LUG] Dell Running Linux Survey

 

On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:31:06 +0000
"Ben Goodger" <goodgerster@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Certain e.g. networking drivers are vital for a system's operation and
> should be shipped though easily removable.

Is that primarily wireless networking or do any wired NIC cards still
require firmware?

> Other things, such as
> Adobe Flash Player, nvidia-glx, etc are not vital and the user should
> have to make their own affirmative decision to use them.

Glad to hear that, Ben - we fully agree on that one.

> Both should
> be distributed within APT repositories, for the sake not only of user
> choice and facilitation but of of trying to at least wrap the blobs
> up in debian-shaped packing so they behave as nicely as can be
> expected.

Agreed. Separate repositories so that a definite user action is
required and non-free cannot be installed by mistake.

> Ubuntu violated this policy, as well as annoying me with stability
> loss, unmaintained packages, commercialisation, patronisation and
> ignoring their Debian roots over the past two releases. That's why it
> went.

IMHO, this is why Etch is delayed - Debian is prepared to take the
criticism and sort out stability, remove orphaned packages and "Get It
Right" before release, even if that means the release date slips again
and again. Release when ready, not before.

It's the basic difference between Ubuntu and Debian. Other
differences flow from the different release strategies. Users are free
to make their choice.

I'm grateful for Ubuntu, their approach makes it very simple for users
new to GNU/Linux migrating from MS. A small step to Ubuntu, later a
small step to Debian. I've no problem with any of my packages going
into Ubuntu and I don't mind getting bug reports / patches from Ubuntu.

> Obviously, gNewSense would be a very good applicant for use on Dell
> hardware (Ubuntu-inherited nastiness aside) if it can provide 100%
> hardware support for Dells. I am not confident that it is capable of
> this, but Debian is certainly capable of running all the hardware
> connected to my system out-of-box (notably unlike Windows, requiring
> two hours and eight driver discs.) This is why I prefer Debian in
> general, and is why I favoured Debian in the Dell survey.

Is it GNewSense or GNUSense? I don't see how it can support wireless
networking devices.

> Actually, though, I don't want anything preinstalled on my computers.
> Given Dell's track record of bundling useless rubbish on their
> Windows machines, I would not trust them not to fiddle with a Debian
> install. The trick, then, is to get Dell to use hardware supported
> well by, say, kernel 2.6.15 and above. This is likely the real issue
> for sysadmins: confidence in their hardware's ability to be run by
> their choice of OS without inane tweakage.
>
> </rant>

No need for the rant marker, really.

--

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.data-freedom.org/
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/

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