Wheel-reinvention with Python

[Cliff Wells]

On Sun, 2005-07-31 at 18:01 -0300, Jorge Godoy wrote:
> Mike Meyer wrote:
> 
> > We already have multiple distributions of Python: CPython, IronPython,
> > and Jython (and there's at least one more). We even have multiple
> > distributions of CPython, what with Active State doing their own and
> > the MacPython distribution. I'm not proposing a fundamental change in
> > the world, I'm suggesting an addition that would satisify the OPs
> > needs.
> > 
> > The "standard" distributor is whichever one your organization settles
> > on when it comes time to choose a Python distribution.
> 
> So we don't solve the problem with a "standard" distribution and that was
> the point I was trying to show.
> 
> In fact this sounds more like a joke I've heard a while ago: standards, if
> you don't like the ones out there, create your own.
> 
> > None of which has stopped linux from following this path.
> 
> And solve a completely different problem while sharing the very same problem
> you, on the post prior to mine, was trying to solve: what is the standard
> GUI on a Linux distribution?  QVWM?  WindowMaker?  Gnome?  KDE?  FVWM?

Well, I think this exposes one of the more interesting sides of open
source software in general.  For better or worse, you get choices.  If
you don't like choice, you won't like open source.  Many choices is
sometimes great, sometimes annoying, but the bottom line is that very
little is spoon-fed to you, and choice and flexibility are the primary
reasons most people choose open source (this was the overwhelming
verdict of a survey SuSE took a while ago).  You can't even *run* Linux
without making a few basic choices (Which distro? Which architecture?
Which GUI? etc).  If you really expect this to change then I expect
there are many frustrating days ahead for you.  I think most end users
of Linux wish that the GNOME and KDE teams would merge (and there would
be a great benefit, I expect, in reduced duplication of effort), but
quite frankly, it ain't gonna happen, and quite probably there would be
a lot of downsides to such an event as well.  

Regards,
Cliff

-- 
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