[OpenIndiana-discuss] Sonicle XStreamOS repo and XStream Desktop in progress

[DormitionSkete@hotmail.com]

On May 18, 2013, at 8:34 AM, Volker A. Brandt wrote:

> Jose-Marcio Martins da Cruz writes:
>> Illumos isn't like Linux. Linux already has a very large user base,
>> while Illumos have a very small user base. For Linux, it's not a
>> real problem having some number of different distributions. About
>> Illumus, maybe it should be better to add common efforts to increase
>> the user base before each company having it's own distro.
>> 
>> At our organisation, I'd like to use a distribution coming or from
>> some community (as debian or openindiana) or coming from some quite
>> solid organisation (as Fedora come from RedHat).
>> 
>> IMHO, it could be better if people from these many different
>> distributions could work together to create a distribution people
>> could really believe in its medium/long term future.
> 
> You are completely correct.  I fully agree.
> 
> I wish Gabriele had spent all this work on OpenIndiana, maybe offering
> a light weight WM and whatever else Sonicle needs als an extra package.
> I wish Martin had done his absolutely amazing work in a more cooperative
> and open fashion.
> 
> The problem here is that too many people want to many different things.
> So far, nobody is willing to give in and agree to a common denominator.
> 
> Fortunately, at least Illumos is still the basis of all these
> distributions, and it is a very solid one.
> 
> 
> Best regards -- Volker A. Brandt
> -- 

I don't agree.

I like Open Indiana a LOT.  I like most of the developers and most of the other people on this mailing list.  I have benefitted from their help enormously, and I appreciate their help and their efforts immensely -- far more than words can adequately express.  But if the people at Sonicle want to start their own distribution, I welcome that whole heartedly.

As much as I hate to say it, I see Open Indiana as a sick puppy dying a long, slow, lingering death.

While it has some significant strengths, it also has some significant problems, among which is the fact that it has no leadership, and no organizational structure.  

Go back and look at the dev archives.  Start around September of last year, when Alasdair resigned.

The response among the devs can be summed up as, "We don't need a leader, and we don't want a leader."

Last December, some corporation, I think, approached the Illumos Foundation wanting to donate to Open Indiana.  Look at the devs' response to that, too.  It wasn't very good.  And others this year have offered to donate or pay for work to be done that they wanted, but unless things have changed that I'm not aware of, there's no way to contribute to Open Indiana.

Of course, not all people are motivated by money.  And our devs don't appear to be.  That's not necessarily bad, though.

Further, the amount of petty bickering on the dev list is enough to discourage even the most stout-hearted person from wanting to contribute to it.  Somebody a few months ago offered a small piece of work for a code review, and he got hit with somewhere around 20-30 messages (if I remember correctly) bickering about what compiler he should use...  

And Sonicle is right in saying that Open Indiana does seem to have a lot of complexity that probably could be simplified immensely.

I've heard many people say on this list that "we need a corporate sponsor".  Well, that simply cannot happen with OI in it's current condition.  Sonicle, as a corporation, has either overcome, or should be able to side-step, most of these problems OI faces.  My big question is, whether they really have the resources to do this.  Their website shows big, impressive buildings, but I think I picked up on Gabriele saying "both of us" have such and such expertise...  

Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I'm not going to take the time to go through all his posts again.

But in any case, if Sonicle wants to make their own distro, maybe it might actually grow enough to be a viable replacement to OI before OI finally does die.  

Within the Linux world, there have been many distributions that have come and gone, only to be replaced by others -- some better, some not.  

Again, I offer my greatest and warmest thanks to all of the OI devs and everyone else who has helped me on this list.  Unfortunately, though, this is how I see the health of OI.  

I, personally, will miss OpenIndiana, if and when it does die.  But I hope that if or when that day comes, there will be a viable replacement for it.  

Cordially,

Peter, hieromonk