ReorganizeUbuntuFlavoursAndForks

The difference between Ubuntu and Edubuntu is of a different kind of the difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu or between Ubuntu and Gobuntu. An user may want to have the educational stuff with the KDE desktop, without the Gnome desktop, and with the strict free policy of Gobuntu. A more modular approach is required.

There are currently several choices: architecture, kernel, window manager, goal, default language, policy, and there should be a modular approach, so that the user can do each chose independently from the other.

  • Architecture:

x86/i386, x86_64/amd64, sparc, hppa, ia64, lpia, powerpc, playstation, zSeries (zUbuntu), ... (see also http://www.debian.org/ports/)

  • Kernel:

Linux, *bsd, Hurd, Windows/Cygwin/Reactos, Opensolaris (NexentaOS), ... (see also http://www.debian.org/ports/#nonlinux)

  • Window manager:

Kde, Gnome, Xfce, Fluxbox, Enlightenment, ...

There are already various flavors, one for each window manager.

  • Goal:

server, education (Edubuntu and tuXlab), ubuntu studio, MythTV (Mythbuntu), Christians (UbuntuCE and Ichthux), Muslims (UbuntuME), Science (Scibuntu), activism (X-Evian), programming (DevUbuntu), security (nUbuntu, Protech, Vacarm Linux), ...

  • Default language:

various localizations

  • Policy:

loose, strictly free (Gobuntu)

Note that there are pair of distributions with the same goal but with different window manager: Edubuntu and tuXlab, UbuntuCE and Ichthux.

Derived distributions

Of course, each person is allowed to create a new distribution forking from Ubuntu, even if most of such distributions will not get regularly updated and die. The Ubuntu distribution should be organized so that whenever someone (wise and collaborative) creates a derived distribution, say my-distrib, the work done for my-distrib is useful for the main Ubuntu, when a new version of Ubuntu arrives, my-distrib can be automatically updated using the new version of Ubuntu, and an Ubuntu user can easily add the my-distrib or vice-versa.

This could be achieved by using appropriate meta-packages, and by encouraging authors of derived distributions to keep also in the Ubuntu repository the meta-packages that characterize their distributions.

Ubuntu should try to regain the people and the work of the derived distributions.

Polyvalent-Programs

In order to make Ubuntu more modular (and functional), it is better to have polyvalent-programs, which are textual, and can be uses by Gnome/Kde/Xfce front-ends, or by scripts.

Religion

By a technical point of view (not necessarily by a religious one), the Christian and Muslim distributions could be merged. It is necessary a clear separation between code and data (see http://www.catb.org/~esr/writings/taoup/html/ch09s01.html). If in the Christian distribution there is a program for reading the Bible, and in the Muslim distribution a program for reading the Quran, then it is necessary just one (well designed) program for reading holy books, and the user choose the data (which holy book) to use with the program. Similar for the other religious programs.

Documentation

The documentation should be modular too, saying what is specific of the Gnome desktop, and what is general.

See also

ReorganizeUbuntuFlavoursAndForks (last edited 2008-08-06 16:21:49 by localhost)