Gentoo Archives: gentoo-dev

From: Luis Ortega <ortega@×××××.com>
To: gentoo-dev@g.o
Subject: RE: [gentoo-dev] Why do you love Gentoo Linux?
Date: Sat, 30 Jun 2001 14:34:28
Message-Id: 000101c101a4$dd9972d0$0d00000a@ortega-lt.ortega
In Reply to: [gentoo-dev] Why do you love Gentoo Linux? by tneidt@mail.fidnet.com
1 First a little background. I have been using computers for a loooong time.
2 Compiled my first program (FORTRAN) on a IBM 650. Moved to IBM 1401 & 1620.
3 The IBM engineer nailed on me that you do not play games in computers. They
4 are strictly for business :) Long time ago but I still have problems playing
5 games even in my own PC. So I am for business use of computers. No fun :(
6
7 I am new to Linux but have some experience coding, installing,
8 troubleshooting and for the past 7 or 8 years, administering networks. As an
9 MCSE, with scars to prove it, I got annoyed when MS decided to invalidate my
10 expertise.
11
12 I have been looking into Linux for quite a while (have bought and installed
13 every REDHAT release, installed it and dropped it) but never got anywhere.
14 Was too busy learning NT, SQL server or whatever.
15
16 As an admin I was looking for a simple firewall (MS Proxy server is just a
17 hassle) and discovered a single diskette Linux 2.0.xx firewall called
18 Freesco. Instant love. Easy to install and does the job.
19
20 I started thinking about a distro that would be as easy to install as
21 Freesco but more modern and capable of doing more. My idea was a very basic
22 distro that would be capable of connecting to a network and building
23 anything I wanted as a Netadmin. A firewall, a file & print server, a
24 database server, a mail server, a web server, whatever. For the end users, I
25 do not care. They can use whatever they like (Win, Mac, Gnome, KDE, etc).
26 Why fight with them. On the server side, I want something I can really have
27 control of.
28
29 I felt that Linux was worth looking into. Checked into IBM website and found
30 Dan Robbins' article on Gentoo. I thought, this guy is ahead of me and seems
31 to be on the path I want to travel, let me follow him, so here I am.
32 </background>
33
34 >Questions to answer:
35 >Why do you love Gentoo Linux?
36
37 I cannot say I love Gentoo Linux but it certainly looks attractive. I am
38 basically a Netadmin looking for tools to build services in my network. I
39 have not done much development in the past few years but I can come back and
40 contribute. I feel that if I wanted to do so, I would do it with a group
41 like this. Eventually I could share the love of the present developers.
42
43
44 >What should our business strategy be? (achim and I have our own ideas, but
45 how
46 >would *you* like things to evolve?)
47
48 I will tell what I would like to do. Presently I am a Netadmin, as I have
49 mentioned, but would like to start a business installing networks and maybe
50 some biz apps in small businesses or departments in large corporations.
51 Since I think that the Internet will permeate most if not all business
52 aspects, I need tools that are Internet savvy. In order to be competitive,
53 and help my potential customers be competitive, I need tools that are
54 commodities. What I see as my potential market is a very price sensitive and
55 budget conscious one. I cannot go with tools that require a license even to
56 get a cup of coffee.
57
58 What is more, I foresee that there would be an international network of
59 people like me, who would share my ideas and who would pool their effort
60 (for their own self economic interest) and help develop the tools with these
61 goals in mind. I foresee that there would be mirrors in every corner of the
62 world where we would build our servers and WS from.
63
64 If I am building systems, say, here in Miami, it makes sense for me to have
65 a mirror-server in my office when I am setting up machines in my shop but it
66 could service anyone, even me, anywhere.
67
68 I Do not know India, but I know Latinamerica and I am sure that we share
69 many traits that make my vision of the computer business somewhat universal.
70 We need tools like Gentoo Linux to help our business communities prosper by
71 being modern and competitive.
72
73
74 >What is Gentoo Linux going to be like in 18 months?
75
76 This is more a definition of the developers but if you are thinking along
77 this line Gentoo Linux should be what Caldera wants to be (which seems to be
78 shooting itself on the foot every step of the way). The Linux distro par
79 excellence for system integrators.
80
81 Perhaps more important now than the goal is how to reach that critical mass.
82 Education is the key. REDHAT has a the familiarity of Coca-Cola in the Linux
83 world but Open Source can be as opaque as any Microsoft product if you do
84 not know how to walk in and recognize the environment. I installed every
85 version of REDHAT but had no clue as to what to do after logging in. And did
86 not have the time or desire to spend tons of hours exploring it. I am
87 thinking of something like a "Gentoo for Newbies" website or a "Gentoo from
88 Scratch" project (a la Linux From Scratch). A ramp to facilitate the
89 assimilation of would-be Gentoo Linux fans.
90
91 As for particular developments that I would like to see in Gentoo Linux, I
92 would like to have one single script (I do not care if there is no GUI),
93 let's call it Gentoo, that will guide me to anything I would want to do at
94 the console as an admin/installer. If the computer is so smart why do I have
95 to remember every fscking command and all its parameters (or check manpages
96 without a single example). Let's extend the concept of ease of installation
97 of Portage to ease of administration. I spend a few minutes every now and
98 then installing. I spend hours after hours administering.
99
100 Closer to my heart, I am a fan of Instant Messaging. I would love to be able
101 to install IM servers everywhere, something like Jabber.
102
103 Along these lines I would like to be able to have macro installations. Say
104 I want a server that is a mail, IM, web and FTP server. I would like to have
105 a script where I would fill in the blanks and voila!, there it goes. Go do
106 something else like train the customer or check the wiring and when I
107 return, I have my mail, web, IM and FTP server ready to plug into the
108 network.
109
110 >What sets Gentoo Linux apart from other distros? What makes us different?
111 If I am reading the message correctly, this is a distro for serious matters.
112 Whether it is business, manufacturing, science or engineering, this is the
113 platform of choice. You can have fun, play games, listen to music, whatever,
114 it is you choice but Gentoo Linux means business. Ease of use is not only
115 for clueless end users. Admins and installers who are short of time need
116 support in their daily functions too. It aims to be a stable modern distro
117 that will not break when installed or upgraded.
118
119 What are some ways in which we can assist IBM?
120 Dan, I must confess that you got me with this one. The only thing I have
121 more of than IBM is debts. They are welcome to as much as they can grab. ;-)
122
123 Seriously, I guess that question is there for a purpose. Well, if my idea of
124 a worldwide network of Gentoo Linux users/installers/integrators
125 materializes I would say that IBM could have some very interesting partners
126 everywhere they do business. Of course, it has to be a win-win situation so
127 it is more like "how can we partner with IBM." You are closer to them. You
128 tell us. I am all ears.