So Long, SuSE, We Hardly Knew Ye!

[Michael Hipp]

Net Llama! wrote:
> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006, Michael Hipp wrote:
>> Net Llama! wrote:
>>> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006, Michael Hipp wrote:
>>>> Net Llama! wrote:
>>>>> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006, Myles Green wrote:
>>>>>> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 18:57:33 -0500 (EST)
>>>>>> Net Llama! <netllama at linux-sxs.org> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Mon, 6 Nov 2006, Michael Hipp wrote:
>>>>>>>> Bruce Marshall wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Ok, what's the best way to get a copy of kunbuntu??  I'd rather not
>>>>>>>>> download the whole thing unless it can be done in chunks...  Would
>>>>>>>>> rather get a DVD or CD's.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> (another disgruntled SuSE user)
>>>>>>>> Download it here:
>>>>>>>>   http://www.kubuntu.org/download.php
>>>>>>>>     (note that Kubuntu is only *one* CD.)
>>>>>>> Really?  Ubuntu is a DVD, so what did they cut out of Kubuntu to get it
>>>>>>> on one CD?
>>>>>> Really? I installed Ubuntu from a CD .iso image downloaded from the Ubuntu
>>>>>> site. Look again, it's there...
>>>>> Yes, its there, but when you install off the CD, you get a stripped down
>>>>> version of the OS, or it grabs additional packages off the internet.  I
>>>>> discovered this little secret when hacking through Ubuntu's poor attempt
>>>>> at kickstart support.
>>>> Wrongo. The CD is the real deal and the whole deal. I've often install Ubuntu
>>>> with no net connection whatsoever (a hackish way to force it to use a static
>>>> IP addr). The DVD image is a johnny-come-lately probably for people with a
>>>> poor net connection.
>>> If what you say is true, then explain why there's been a DVD way back with
>>> warty, and how I can perform a kickstart based installation from the
>>> contents of the CD.
>> I don't believe there was a DVD release with Warty. My recollection is that it
>> came along later. But I might be remembering wrong. Note that most of the
>> mirrors don't even carry the DVD images (see link below). The "official"
>> release has always been one CD. (Probably as a thankful backlash against the
>> landfill's worth of CDs that have to be downloaded to install *anything* from,
>> say, SuSE or FC.)
> 
> But that's misleading, because what you get with the 1 CD installation is 
> close to useless.  You get no development tools (gcc, etc), you get no 
> kernel source/headers.  I'm sure that you'll argue that the Ubuntu target 
> audience doesn't need or care about that stuff, however that's only true 
> if what Ubuntu gives you is everything you need.  Anyone trying to install 
> out-of-tree hardware drivers isn't going to be happy (nvidia, a bunch of 
> USB webcams, vmware, etc).

I don't find it the least bit misleading. You get exactly what is advertised: 
a well configured, integrated, easy-to-use, easy-to-install desktop with a 
long list of best-of-breed applications in each category.

It is what it claims to be.

Precisely how many *users* will be running VMware?

Hint: anyone who needs and knows how to install vmware will not be terribly 
intimidated by having to use Synaptic to get kernel headers. Heck they might 
even be able to run an xterm and use apt-get. :-)

And on most of my systems I don't *want* gcc and other development tools. They 
fall firmly in the "optional accessories" category.

To each his own, but I long ago lost interest in the "kitchen sink" theory of 
distro installation. Simple things work better than complicated things.

Michael