Well, OK - I'll stick with Debian despite Bruce's departure - for a while longer. The developers would miss folks like me who ask those naive questions. You can't be elite if no one notices.
Bruce provided a type of leadership (yes, I know Ian took over some time ago) that was reassuring to the users. He was the only 'official' bridge between the users and the developers. Again - he provided reassurance to us users, that there was a direction in the anarchic creativity. And he made the developers look good to us users. It may be that his work with SPI is crucial to Linux success and he'll do more for Debian there than here - in the long run. My guess is that I've been instrumental (as an academician) in introducing Linux to perhaps 100 to 200 young people. I recommend Debian, but RedHat is slicker and more attractive. It's like watching your teenager start dating - they go for the attractive package. And RedHat is good, so I'm torn. I'm torn because I want these young folks to experience the instant gratification which underlies (undermines?) our culture. Otherwise, They'll just go back to watching TV. I realize that we're not overt competitors of RedHat and that we wish them well for the sake of linux - but Debian aspires to be the ideal - non-commercial, free, and excellent. When a slick package like kde is easily installed on RedHat, but difficult with Debian - some folks get confused. Yes, I know kde is impure because of qt - but it's slick. Slick is good for some. At any rate, good luck Bruce - we'll miss you. And, sincere thanks to all the developers - despite my gibes. You are the heart of debian. Richard P.S. Can this qualify to start a flame war? -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]