[OpenIndiana-discuss] I figured this deserved a separate thread

[Nathan Evans]

On 5 November 2010 13:05, Nikola M <minikola at gmail.com> wrote:

> Christopher Chan wrote:
> > Ubuntu is currently one big mess and their LTS release policies are
> > laughable. Yeah, I have a stable version of Pidgin but it did not do
> > Yahoo anymore on Hardy well before Lucid got released.
> */Starting ubuntu part../
>
> Hi,
> I also used to use ubuntu Hardy and I used GetDeb.net software
> repository for new software for LTS release.
> But problem with that is that people maintaining GetDeb, also chaised
> newest Ubuntu release, too, so it was just to pospone and extend
> lifecycle of LTS with newer apps till next LTS.
>
> At the end, I ended up downloading .dsc tar.gz and diff.gz files for
> newer packages from newer ubuntu releases and compiling it themselves.
> And sometimes i coould satisfy dependencies (with also compiling newer
> libraries from newer release etc) but at the end, it came to a halt
> because ever newer apps nedded updates of some core libraries that
> required.. OS update. So I basically got stuck to latest available app I
> could compile as package.
> Then there was PPA (personal package archives) with packages of newer
> programs and if you ask them nicely, they were making packages, for
> older LTS, too.
> And Finally I started downloading and using .tar.gz compiled binary
> programs from project sites and that was just about when new LTS came.
>
> */..Ending Ubuntu part/
>
> So, About OpenIndiana/Illumos I can conclude this:
> For desktop use it is better to have newer distribution/system, even if
> it brings some instability on application level (update of newest
> security-patched web browser, Office, mail client, etc)
> but it is mostly important to have Core OS updated and security patched.
>

Instability in production is always a problem thats why some distributions
release stable and unstable.



> I measure quality of free software distribution, by that how much is it
> able to use all newest app with no need to question Core OS update.
> And I think that its binary compatibility, OpenSolaris Based
> distributions have much better starting position for this matter,
> providing community is big enough and continues to grow, for both
> Server/CoreOS use and Desktop use with newest applications and
> desktop/drivers.
>

Thats great on a desktop, and thats why server/desktop distributions should
be separate.

>
> So As I understand Server user/CoreOS is function of usability, new
> technologies and mainstream use for the things iluumos based
> distributions and OpenIndiana are used.
> Desktop use rely on CoreOS is usable and running and simly compose
> itself of Newest packaging of applications, fine-tuning user experience
> (Everyone wants to see how OS "looks like" graphically and those things
> interesting for laptops.
> So I think OpenIndiana is on right course.
>