Formerly: Re: Debian and Redhat - are most linux users missing the point? At 08:44 PM 2/26/99 -0800, George Bonser wrote: >On Sat, 27 Feb 1999, Frankie wrote: >> Yet most linux users opt for redhat. >Because it is the only distribution that many >have heard of.
Also, Red Hat is being given shelf space through retails like CompUSA. I believe "Linux" is the major draw and that many consumers have no sense of the nuances of the various distributions. When I go into Barnes & Noble I find a couple dozen books spread among the distributions with a preponderance for Red Hat (used to be Slackware). When I open some of those books, I conclude that I might be able to deal with a given distribution. Red Hat seems to draw the authors who do the slickest books. Red Hat gets lots of press because it is drawing some powerful partners like IBM. These big companies would generally prefer to form alliances with other for-profit companies rather than groups of volunteers, or non-profit corporations. The real bottom line issue on all of this has been the fact that Microsoft uses its muscle to force hardware manufacturers into only selling machines with Windows. Until Linux becomes an option on Dell, Gateway, Micron, et al, computers, the real issue of free software will remain obstinate. When a Dell wants a Linux system, they want something with a commercial presence. If anyone really wants Debian to prevail commercially, here is what you might do. Perhaps no other commercial solution will work at this time. Create a company that specializes in Debian support. Sell a support package to a company like Dell whereby their users can call an 800 number, or send email for support. Offer this support package for $30 per machine, and do a good job of providing support, and offer to assist Dell, et al with creating the official release for each machine. The Red Hat community is quickly doing this very thing and little time remains for Debian supporters to create the necessary commercial alternative. >I fail to see how having more users will make >Debian better. Lots of people are looking for an opportunity to volunteer some time. If they own Debian, they will be more likely to give back to the Debian community. If they own Red Hat, they will be more likely to give back through the Red Hat volunteer community, assuming such a thing exists. >It WOULD make it easier to "sell" to IT management >if they have heard of it. More than that. IT management want to feel like they can hold someone's feet to the fire if they need support. A paid Debian support company is the real need. DEBIAN VOLUNTEER REGISTRY The above provides one path to Debian commercial success. However, there are other ways to put the puzzle together. Rather than Debian becoming a commercial competitor to Red Hat, and possibly failing to win its place in that competitive market, consider the following. Suppose Debian positions itself as a volunteer based, software change, feeder organization. Debian becomes the place where volunteers join to give back to the free software community. Debian becomes a Linux volunteer organization that serves as a wellspring of software change. Changes originated as .deb are easily converted to .rpm and funneled out to the world through Red Hat. There are some hassles with directory hierarchies, but a suitable link map could support both topologies. There are probably other hassles too. Debian and Red Hat could enter into a strong alliance, becoming, as it were, joined at the hip. Red Hat becomes the commercial distribution/support mechanism and Debian becomes the volunteer support organization. Perhaps this what is likely to happen anyway. Perhaps a formal agreement to the effect would clarify the matter. If Red Hat were to publicly state that consumers volunteer should funnel their volunteer spirit towards Debian, that would help assure the outcome. Debian would then need to create things like a Volunteer Registry, Project Team Registry, etc. If anyone decides to draft such a Red Hat/Debian Alliance agreement, please let me help. NOTE: Many months ago I recommended to GNU that they create a formal GNU Volunteer Organization, as described above. I volunteered to write the GNU Volunteer Registry software system, if GNU would permit it on their machine, but RMS seemed only mildly interested at the time. If anyone is interested in chatting about creating a formal Debian Volunteer Registry system, please let me know because I have many well thought out ideas on the topic. Sorry for such a blatant segue, but I am still seeking a venue for this idea.
