Re: [gentoo-user] Re: anti-portage wreckage?

[Mick]

On Sunday 31 December 2006 12:18, Aniruddha wrote:
> Very good ideas in this thread. Why not open a thread in the Gentoo
> forums and start a public discussion there?
>
>
> In regard to your question, have you thought about the --oneshot option?
> That way you can manually upgrade the packages you see fit.
>
> James wrote:
> > Mike Myers <fluffymikey <at> gmail.com> writes:
> >> I think I like your idea better, about distributing binaries.  Do you
> >> know if
> >
> > something like this is being worked on?  I'm certain that a common method
> > to this, like what you're saying, would allow Gentoo to become scalable
> > to the point of being easily usable on a large scale.
> >
> >
> > It's a lot of work. I'll be pusing binaries to lots of systems, but, it
> > going to take me months to get ready. I was hoping others with similar
> > goals would 'band together' to come up with a solution that combines the
> > needs for the casual user as well as those of us that  want to manage
> > dozens to hundres of Gentoo systems.....
> >
> > I need to refine the idea, and my goal is mostly embedded gentoo sytems,
> > but, they are very similar to gentoo-servers. Expanding the idea to
> > workstation, at least for core  software, is not that difficult.
> >
> > I do not intend to get into 'competiion' with the devs, particularly on
> > applications that are big, complex, or prone to breakage (OO)....
> >
> >
> > It'd really be better to do this as a group, but, I've found little
> > interest, most probably due to the fact that most folks are already
> > bogged down with their own ambitions.

Last few unstructured [OT] thoughts for the year . . .

There's been a couple of threads on Gentoo going out of fashion, the Linux 
desktop failing to dethrone M$Windoze, etc.  I think that this particular 
thread is interesting from another perspective, too.  Not fighting past 
battles (which distro should/could/would dominate the server market and which 
the desktop market), but fighting potential future battles.  If you're 
interested, read on.

The PC centric desktop on which M$ built their business model may be under 
threat.  If the WebOS [1], GoogleOS [2], internet based desktop [3], etc. 
take off, then what will enable Gentoo to become a predominant system of 
choice both in the server and in the thin client markets?  I don't think that 
Redmond will have much of a problem packaging a ROM embedded version of a 
thin client system and pushing it to all the Joe-public out there, who 
currently (mostly) blindly buy their products.  Inertia may of course lead to 
their demise if they continue to market the individual desktop PC solution, 
but I wouldn't count on it.

The question then is what should Gentoo do to establish itself as a major 
enabler and shaper in such a potential future?  What are the market segments 
and sub-segments and how do they come together (a home PC is these days a 
desktop apps suite; a games machine; a media center with CD/DVD/TV/music 
playing and recording capabilities, etc.)  Device and information convergence 
is increasing.

Some people will undoubtedly run their own home servers with their chosen 
desktop apps and access them via FreeNX & VNC.  For them Gentoo will be an 
option to consider.  However, I think that the vast majority will not own or 
configure their own remote access desktops.  They will readily subscribe to 
the latest M$ shop offering along with their free Hotmail account.  How could 
Gentoo increase its market share if such a potential future is to occur, or 
even better: how could Gentoo Foundation become pivotal in making it happen 
while retaining its values.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_operating_system
[2] http://www.kottke.org/05/08/googleos-webos but there's many more articles 
& blogs out there; e.g.
[3] http://blogs.zdnet.com/web2explorer/?p=166

Happy New Year to All!
-- 
Regards,
Mick