One Linux distro to rule them all?
June 5, 2008 by Clair Ching
Filed under The Free World.
In one way or another, Ubuntu has been getting popular over the past how many years. I keep writing about it because it’s mainly the distro I use and it’s the one I am most familiar with. I might sound like an Ubuntu fangirl and in some ways, that is true.
In the beginning I didn’t like Ubuntu much. Probably because I was biased towards the Mandrake installer which had almost every application I needed in the four CDs. Ubuntu had only one CD and I if I wanted other applications I needed internet access. That was my problem. These days, I learned that there are ways to get a copy of the packages via apt-zip. I didn’t use it though. I ended up going online when I was in the office so my laptop was updated regularly.
How did I begin enjoying the use of Ubuntu? It’s when I found out about the local communities and the forums and IRC channels which has a lot of helpful people. (As long as you ask sensible questions and as long as you gave it your best shot to search online first, you would hardly get any RTFM responses.) Also, I loved the way that they made sure there was an available copy of Ubuntu to other users. The accessibility of copies via Shipit was also attractive as well as the various releases which had a specific desktop environment and set of default packages. With Ubuntu I wasn’t overwhelmed with the number of available packages. I knew there were ways to get packages but at least the ones it had by default were sensible and enough for my needs. 
For the last two years I’ve been wondering if Ubuntu will be the Linux distro to rule them all. It’s all these news about Ubuntu that makes me think. But I see other distros coming up with their own improvements and I am glad. Somehow, though the distros might have similarities with each other, they retain their differences. It’s the freedom to choose that makes me appreciate Linux more. I am thinking that Ubuntu is the flavor of the past how many years but I am not certain if that’s the distro to rule them all because Linux is Linux — there’s the kernel and you’re free to choose and innovate on the apps, tools, etc. You even have people installing Linux From Scratch but that’s probably another matter. There might come a time that another distro will be garner the attention of the masses and might seem to be the Linux distro. However, as long as there’s still the freedom to choose, people will still look around and choose based on their preferences.
The way I see a Linux distro; its an expression of opinion. Everyone has their own interpretation of what a distro should be. (Especially in the case of being a worldwide thing!). As such, there are many to choose from.
While some people will interpret this as a weakness (diversified resources), its actually a characteristic of open source. It ends up with a powerful result. That is, the power and the freedom to choose how the software side of your system should be.
The power to choose…Its the greatest gift anyone can give to another.
Granted, most people will find this very overwhelming, and will express frustration due to their previous tendencies or habits. But that just only goes to show how much power they’re suddenly given!
There doesn’t need to be “one distro that will rule them all”. There just needs to be flexibility and freedom allowing you do what you want with YOUR system. (Something that neither Apple nor Microsoft currently offers).
When it comes to Linux distros, there is no Wrong or Right. There “just is”. It will take time for people to get use to it, as open source as a concept, is a big change in thinking. (Most people are afraid of big changes!).
Regards.
I agree with aussiebear, there is already one Linux and it consist of all the Linux parts that can be combined into all sorts of distros and named what ever. It so impractical to say, put all the source code of all the Linux parts on several DVD’s, choose them, compile them and install them. The Linux community has done this for us and has offered those selections for the rest of us to choose so we don’t have to do it from scratch ourselves. Then starting from the distro we’ve selected, we can add and delete and customise and even make a new distro if we choose. This is the great feature and strength of Linux. Ubuntu, as popular as it seems still doesn’t meet the needs of all users. So I say Linux as a product will never be a lasting hit. Linux as a “kit” will always be there, ready to be fitted to the hardware, the task and the user.