Idea: Linux for end users

PTM: I'm no good in englix so I hope you don't get a carrot to your nose

I have tested about 20-30 different Linux distributions and have not found any to recommend for the company needs.
What I'm looking for is a kind of mini or small distribution, that has the strict minimum of tools and still could be upgraded and easy to
install new software. The one and worst thing in Linux is still this software installation. Every distro has it's uncompatible tools to
install. Most often you got to 'make' the installation from the ground up.

Slowly I got an idea:
<idea>
Every software packet should have a identification tag. Let it be a 40 character string. There should also be a organisation to keep the tags
in order and the website in healthy state.
When you install a distro, it first installs a bare minimum network system, Xwindos and a tool for installing software. After that the user
could select the software she needs from an upgradeable list. If the program finds the packet from the CD then it installs from there. If it
doesn't or the user wants a new version, the program goes to a predetermined ONE AND ONLY ONE website and asks there where the packet with
the identification tag could be found.
Program gets a new address and goes to the right site, shows it to the user (asking for donation, if need be) and loads the program and
starts the systems own installation routine to make the final installation. If it needs some libraries or external files it could go to the
site again and copy those too.

In a corporate network this program could first contact the local delivery system to check, if there is some destriction, recommendations or
initialisation routines connected to this packet.

This system could make it possible to deliver always the most up-to-date versions, make it possible for a simple user to have those and only
those programs in her machine, she really needs. it even makes possible a kind of centralised table of recommendations, warnings and
documentation. What is most important there might slowly arrive an extremely good installation tool.

What is needed is an alliance to make a common handshaking system for the installation programs.
</idea>

Before this kind OS system arrives, I'm still seeking for a small distro who doesn't try to install every possible Audio, ISDN,
modem, CD-burner, Chat, IRQ, FTP, NTFS,... program to my hardisk even if I don't have any soundcard, modem of any kind, or CD-burner.
Installing Linux nowadays is a kind of two phase project: first you tell the installer program what you need. In the second phase you try to
remove all those obsolete programs and packets. What is annoying is that between these two phases you got over 1.5 GB material going to your
disk, so you got to have at least 1.8 GB HD. The final installation after ther rip-off might be about 500-800MB. Still you got to have this
1.8GB disk to have a 800MB system.

There got to be a tool to install this extra software when the need arises. Why should everything be installed in the begining, if the user
has the CD in his bookself to be used when needed.

(I have had Linux in active use in some of my PCs since Slackware version 1.0 and have tried all the major distros. So there is no need for
those normal RTFM -komments and wars between distros)

--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
PTM, Pasi T Mustalahti, ptmusta @utu.fi, http://www.utu.fi/~ptmusta
OH1HEK OI7234
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:37:11 +0000 (UTC), Pasi Mustalahti
<ptmusta.TakeThisOut@utu.fi> wrote:
> PTM: I'm no good in englix so I hope you don't get a carrot to
> your nose
>
> I have tested about 20-30 different Linux distributions and have
> not found any to recommend for the company needs. What I'm looking
> for is a kind of mini or small distribution, that has the strict
> minimum of tools and still could be upgraded and easy to install
> new software. The one and worst thing in Linux is still this
> software installation. Every distro has it's uncompatible tools to
> install. Most often you got to 'make' the installation from the
> ground up.
>
> Slowly I got an idea:
><idea>
> Every software packet should have a identification tag. Let it be
> a 40 character string. There should also be a organisation to keep
> the tags in order and the website in healthy state. When you
> install a distro, it first installs a bare minimum network system,
> Xwindos and a tool for installing software. After that the user
> could select the software she needs from an upgradeable list. If
> the program finds the packet from the CD then it installs from
> there. If it doesn't or the user wants a new version, the program
> goes to a predetermined ONE AND ONLY ONE website and asks there
> where the packet with the identification tag could be found.
> Program gets a new address and goes to the right site, shows it to
> the user (asking for donation, if need be) and loads the program
> and starts the systems own installation routine to make the final
> installation. If it needs some libraries or external files it
> could go to the site again and copy those too.
>
You are describing Debian.

>
> Before this kind OS system arrives, I'm still seeking for a small
> distro who doesn't try to install every possible Audio, ISDN,
> modem, CD-burner, Chat, IRQ, FTP, NTFS,... program to my hardisk
> even if I don't have any soundcard, modem of any kind, or
> CD-burner. Installing Linux nowadays is a kind of two phase
> project: first you tell the installer program what you need. In
> the second phase you try to remove all those obsolete programs and
> packets. What is annoying is that between these two phases you got
> over 1.5 GB material going to your disk, so you got to have at
> least 1.8 GB HD. The final installation after ther rip-off might
> be about 500-800MB. Still you got to have this 1.8GB disk to have
> a 800MB system.
>
How many years has it been since you bought a new hard drive? I
don't think they make them as small as 1.8 GB anymore, but a minimal
Debian system can be installed in less than that.


> There got to be a tool to install this extra software when the
> need arises. Why should everything be installed in the begining,
> if the user has the CD in his bookself to be used when needed.
>
> (I have had Linux in active use in some of my PCs since Slackware
> version 1.0 and have tried all the major distros. So there is no
> need for those normal RTFM -komments and wars between distros)
>


--
Giraffe: a ruminant with a view.