Ubuntu needs a new development model

[darkphoenix22]

@darkphoenix22

Didn't you want to provide an Ubuntu based distribution with backports (via your beloved ppas)? What's the status of it? Did YOU receive the goals that you want that U does for you? Best for more than 1 user

I ran into a problem where my development model was too much for one person alone. I decided to restructure the project so that it's relaunched it will have the resources of 2 -3 people actively checking the packages.

I also needed time to finish some course work and start my thesis.

[darkphoenix22]

I think your energy is misdirected.
I do not wish to protect Ubuntu in particular but Linux against the Giant.

Look for a positive result for you concerns. Many alternative Linux distros may be the place to look.

M$ CONTROLS 85%+ of the users.

If we fight amongst ourselves M$ has WON!!!

Maybe. But I feel that Ubuntu is the closest to achieving mass market peneration.

BTW Apple is 10x worse than MS in every way, mostly because they aren't just threats. The iPhone and iPad are locked down to prevent development of applications in non-Apple approved languages.

You can't even distribute a GPL application in the iTunes App Store. Apple is a much bigger threat because they are looked at as the future by the masses. Microsoft is now looked at as an old man past his prime.

[darkphoenix22]

I've decided to switch to sidux. Mostly because, it is a lot harder to contribute back to Linux through Ubuntu, due to Ubuntu's bureaucracy and near complete disconnection from upstream developers. Debian is where all the development action behind Ubuntu goes on. By the time it reaches Ubuntu, it is basically just organisational masturbation, for a lack of a better term.

If you want your package or code to be included in Ubuntu, unless it's a theme, you're probably better off just contributing it to Debian and waiting a year for it to appear in Ubuntu. It'll take just as long anyways to get it through all the Ubuntu committees (hell Firefox 3.6.3 still hasn't made it through, despite their promise to keep Firefox updated in recent versions of Ubuntu. Mozilla has since released 3.6.6.).

Stability is great, but not when it leads to stagnation.

-----

I put infinityOS on hiatus a few weeks ago so I can concentrate on course work and my thesis.

I may revive it in the future if I can get a community behind the semi-rolling release model. Until then, I'm likely just going to be contributing straight to Debian where I feel I can more efficiently help the community in terms of testing and bug fixing.

[Kano]

Your example is not well researched. Debian will freeze hopefully this summer, then sid will not receive major updates only bugfixes. Currently sid has got only firefox (called iceweasel) 3.5.9, in experimental you find 3.6.4. Maverick seems to have 3.6.6.

http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/main/f/firefox/?C=M;O=D

I currently test squeeze on my new i5-680 system. Even began testing vaapi with it - but h264 does not work well yet.

[darkphoenix22]

I also tested Debian Testing, but the font anti-aliasing appears to be broken.

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/debian-26/can-i-install-any-package-to-make-font-smoothing-better-on-debian-809587/

To be honest, aside from Firefox (which is out-of-date on Debian mostly for branding reasons), all my applications are completely up-to-date in Debian Unstable. It's much better than using Ubuntu with 15 different PPAs to achieve the same result with basically the same packages.

[monraaf]

To be honest, aside from Firefox (which is out-of-date on Debian mostly for branding reasons)

Yeah Debian seems to be a bit anal about some stuff. Icons, firmware... On the other hand they seem to have no problems shoving Mono down their users throats.

Ugh!

[darkphoenix22]

Better than GStreamer and PulseAudio. :P

[monraaf]

I think not. But if you like the Linux desktop to be build around Microsoft patented technologies that's fine with me. It just seems hypocritical to me that Debian is promoting this while at the same thing being all anal over some icons and firmware.

So IMNSHO: Debian == Hypocrites

[darkphoenix22]

Well, Mono is on the verge of being killed off by Vala anyways. No new projects are being started that use it anymore and there is a string of apps being written to replace their Mono counterparts, mostly using Vala.

GStreamer and PulseAudio are alive and well, with the major distributions forcing them down our throats, being touted as solutions to mostly non-existant problems.

At least, Mono actually does it's job. I can't really say GStreamer and PulseAudio work well for anything outside of browsers and media players.

[darkphoenix22]

More info on why Firefox is being held back on Debian:

Because there is 1, say it again 1 Debian dev that maintains Iceweasel and xulrunner.

[quote]The latest Firefox is installable in Testing and Unstable, and Iceweasel 3.6+ and Xulrunner 1.9.2+ entered Experimental in April (1) (2). So, why aren't they in Unstable? My guess is that Debian's security concerns differ from Mozilla's, because Xulrunner has various open security issues (3) despite Firefox's updates since version 3.6 was released. If these updates addressed those security issues, the Debian Developer would simply pack the latest upstream release.[quote]

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=53208

Perhaps, we should get on Mozilla's ass about fixing those security issues and start helping out that one dev.