On Thu, 31 May 2007, Ian Murdock wrote:
On 5/31/07, Darren J Moffat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Before we go too far down the track of creating a "so called" reference
binary distribution of OpenSolaris I think we need to first clearly for
the whole community document exactly what problem we are trying to solve.
For something to be *the* reference distribution for OpenSolaris is
quite a significant status. Exactly why do we even need that status ?
What is so special about the reference distribution that it can't be one
of the existing distros ?
What special status should a reference distribution actually have ?
What is the implication to other distros if they do things differently
to other distros ?
My personal opinion is that I don't want to see a reference distro, at
this time I just don't see any value in it. What I do see today is
great competition and collaboration based on the distros we have. I
think there is scope for more distros (and if I had the time I would be
creating my own to experiement with some ideas), however I don't think
any single distro (not even the "original" Solaris from Sun) should be
elevated to "reference" at this time.
Two reasons in my view:
1. We need a better answer to the question, "What is OpenSolaris?" Ideally,
it's something tangible, i.e., something people can download and install.
The current "OpenSolaris is just the source code, like kernel.org, and Sun
and others take that code and make operating systems out of it" is
confusing.. Bottom line, the market thinks OpenSolaris is an
operating system ("OpenSolaris is the community version of Solaris..
Right?"). I consider this a big part of the "familiarity gap".
2. With all the negative opinions about Linux around here, I'm surprised
to have to say this, but: Multiple distributions without a reference for
compatibility is *not* a feature of Linux we want to emulate! I know, I've
spent the better part of the last 5 years trying to clean up the mess,
with mixed results. It's far easier to create an ecosystem of compatible
implementations if you *start* with a reference. All attempts at
building a reference after the fact in Linux have been an abject failure.
I agree with Darren that #2 is a non-sequitor. In this regard, Linux and
Solaris/OpenSolaris evolved in very different ways. In OpenSolaris land,
there already exists a reference for compatibility in the form of Solaris
(more specifically, Nevada, aka "Solaris 11").
Eric
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