On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 20:43:50 +0200, Geoffrey S. Mendelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tue, Mar 01, 2005 at 01:28:58PM -0500, Phil D. wrote: > > I would shy away from Mandrake personally. Distros you may want to > > consider for PPC besides YDL are: > > > > Ubuntu - Debian based with a different package repository > > I've tried Ubuntu and to me it's the Linux of the "great unlinuxed". It's > a very carefully chosen set of packages to provide the most function a > simple Windows user would want. It does not have a glitzy installer > (as if one is needed) and it uses the lower impact, lower function GNOME > over the super-whiz=bang KDE.
I like where YDL is going but there's one MAJOR thing that Ubuntu has going for it that YDL/Terrasoft should really consider emulating -- simplicity. It's easy to install whatever you want in Ubuntu after-the-fact, but when you start, you start off with the bare essentials with apps that will cover 80% of users' needs right off the bat (how many word processers, web browsers, network monitoring utilities, CLUI editors & servers does a person really need). You can get that by customising YDL but there should be a base minimalist install a la Mac OS X that's default (I install everything in YDL right away b/c I don't trust yum to work properly and there's no GUI for upgrading). > I expect that it will take off as the desktop linux of choice for many > people. Most of them will be too poor to afford windows and MS Office > and it will make computing affordable to them. It will also appeal to > those people who want to use linux without the high technical level or > resource level a fuller disitribution requires. I won't go that far -- I've been seeing the usability of Windows vs. Linux in operation, and, I have to admit that Windows is still hands down the more functional OS. Yes, it's more vulnerable to malware and viruses, BUT, when appropriately protected, people can "just work" and expect software to "just work". This is a far cry from where Linux is headed in the immediate future. But, for people who just need to browse the web and write a note or two, Linux (on i86) will certainly suffice (PPC is just a little too esoteric without someone who knows what they're doing). Where I see Linux making inroads is in the "early adopter" crowd and amongst technogeeks (probably one-and-the-same ;-). It's good enough to use, and it also offers a challenge that Windows can't offer (Mac can since it is a Unix but not really since half the fun is NEEDING to... on Mac you don't _need_ to compile your own version of MOL, etc.). > It's a nice package for what it is, but it is not YDL. IMHO you > should download Ubuntu and give it to everyone you can, but buy YDL for > yourself. The major difference between the two is that YDL is a Fedora/RH offspring and Ubuntu is a Debian off-spring. I like both distros for different reasons -- YDL is my server box. It works fairly well and requires virtually no setup (doesn't have FireFox in-built though... come on Terrasoft, Mozilla SUCKS, FireFox rocks). Ubuntu I use to play around with as a desktop OS -- it offers a million and one packages through the dpkg/apt-get/Synaptic apps combo and "Hoary" offers daily exitement when you do an apt-get dist-upgrade (less so recently since they're into feature freeze). I like playing with both since both give me a slightly different Linux learning experience: Debian vs. Fedore/RH (different ways of doing things). Use your own judgement as to what you want. IMNSHO YDL and Ubuntu are pretty much the same in terms of ease of use and ease of install (there are people who've sworn off either Ubuntu or YDL as unusable/unable to support their hardware and gone to/stuck with the other distro). For me, Ubuntu wins out on the desktop because of its philosophy (& it "just works" on my Pismo), but, my experiences with YDL as a server have been positive as well so I'm happy with YDL as well. YDL offers a full kitchen sink experience with some pretty stable packages in a fairly well integrated package (for its size). Ubuntu Warty offers a more pared down experience to start with, with good integration, but if you have a highspeed connection (or lots of patience) to the web you can have yourself a kitchensink (and a whole house... Debian's universe is *big* with lots of active and oft-updated packages). Ubuntu Hoary (development) offers cutting edge apps with a surprising degree of stability but also with the excitement of breakage (now breakage will be minimal since they're into "feature freeze"). Anyway, enjoy whatever distro(s) you pick. Eric. _______________________________________________ yellowdog-general mailing list [email protected] http://lists.terrasoftsolutions.com/mailman/listinfo/yellowdog-general HINT: to Google archives, try '<keywords> site:terrasoftsolutions.com'
