Ubuntu CD's for Free

[Alma J Wetzker]

Aaron Grewell wrote:
>>USE flags are much easier to get your head around than spec files and
>>building SRPMs. Bleh.
> 
> 
> Building RPMS doesn't require any of that.  CheckInstall takes care of
> the whole thing, but when you're done you've got something portable that
> doesn't need to be compiled on all your other boxes.  It's as tailored
> as source, and as easily deployed as RPM.  It's the thing that keeps me
> sane when I have to deviate from some package the RH guys have borked.
> It's not perfect, but it's a lot less time-consuming than Gentoo was for
> me.

Personally, I can't detect any difference between the RPM install and the 
Gentoo build and rsync to all your (100's) servers.  The principle of the 
conservation of hair still applies.  It is tricky at one point but it is 
simpler at another.  Same, same.  The only problem occurs if you 100's of 
servers are all different hardware.

On the topic of server down time, like most of you, I have been responsible 
for a 24x7x366 server running services.  To say that there are not down, or 
light, times is silly.  You can usually see times of the day where usage is 
down for the system, if only marginally.  For business systems, you need some 
kind of down time for accounting cutoffs.  If your system runs round the 
clock, when do you close month end?  How can you get a clean cutoff when half 
the order has shipped but all of it has been invoiced?

I just want a system that works (tm).  Both desktop and server.  I like my 
gentoo install but it is currently a royal pita.  I also use SuSE and slack. 
There are drawbacks to every system.  Linux has fewer drawbacks than Windoze. 
  Bottom line.

     -- Alma