What's after OpenLinux?

[Collins Richey]

[ snips ]

On Sat, 8 Mar 2003 21:13:25 +0100
Roger Oberholtzer <roger.oberholtzer at surbrunn.net> wrote:

> On Sat, 8 Mar 2003 07:54:24 -0700
> Collins Richey <erichey2 at attbi.com> wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, 7 Mar 2003 22:57:43 -0800
> > Bill Campbell <bill at celestial.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Fri, Mar 07, 2003 at 05:49:52PM -0500, Jerry McBride wrote:
> > > 
> > > >Well, it looks like I'll be spending some effort to swap out some
> > > >OpenLinux boxes pretty soon. Principles you know...
> > > 
> > > 
> > > SuSE has a very nice method of dealing with the SYSV startup where
> > > dependencies can be specified in the master startup in /etc/init.d,
> > > then the ``inssrv'' program will figure out what has to start in order
> > > to make sure things are done in the proper order.
> > > 
> > 
> > They've finally caught up with gentoo <grin>
> 
> Same here, at home. I am now itching to contribute ebuild scripts
> for various packages. I am, happily, a convert.
> 
> The problem is that it simply is not a system you can realistically
> install on production systems scattered around the globe - especially if
> they are in vans roving the highways and byways. A stable CD-based install
> is needed. I suspect we will be SuSE or RedHat in due time.

I'm surprised that no one has done it yet.  It would not be a matter of rocket science to distribute a gentoo based distribution from one or more (different architecture) base home system.  Creating binary update packages and/or complete replacement tarballs for distribution on CD would be a relatively trivial undertaking.  Binary update CDs could include a script to tailor anything desired.  The complete replacement CDs would only require relatively trivial modifications to the gentoo Livecd.  

You could do updates and quality control on the home base (seed) systems.  You could charge for 3-6 month update cycles.  If you setup the client's systems to have /home and at least two partitions big enough for the root file system, you could install complete replacements and be confident that the customer would always have a backup available.  If the customer has a reliable communications path, you could even supply them with a script to download everything from your base site.

If you were to publish a recommend set of hardware for the clients, you could keep the permutations and combinations down to an acceptable number.

Ah well, that's the difference between the dreamers and the RedHats of this world!

> 
> But be warned. Our company seems to be the kiss of death. Every OS we
> embrace seems to go awry ...
>
> I am afraid to break the news to all in my company that OpenLinux is over.
> 

OpenLinux was over before it ever started.  Even when Caldera was running the show, before the SCO merger, the handwriting was on the wall.  Caldera never understood the power of its user group.  Rejecting input from its loyal users and grudgingly excepting any recommendations from same were just signs of the basic rot.  I've said before that Caldera was basically a very closed source, closed minded, unsharing company that just coincidentally happened to market open systems.  My only sympathy is for the hundreds of employees and thousands of users they've screwed over.