[huskerlug] Re: DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

  • From: GreyGeek <jkreps@xxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: huskerlug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:29:59 -0500

Martin Wolff wrote:
> ...
> I knew  Ubuntu was going to be number one before clicking the link
> because, well, I've used it and it really is __that__ good.  
>   
In contrast, I decided to try Kubuntu 7.04.    What a disappointment.

 It has the "Broadcom" problem but leaves no way to connect to the
Internet to solve it IF your chip won't connect.   The broadcom problem
occurs when the supplied bcm43xx driver won't fire your broadcom
wireless chip as wlan0 but binds it as eth1 instead, which usually fails
to connect when ifup fires..   To make matters worse, only the
ndiswrapper.ko module is supplied.   So, you can do stuff like "sudo
modprobe ndiswrapper" but you cannot do "sudo nidswrapper -l" or "sudo
ndiswsrapper -m" or "sudo ndiswrapper -e somedriver.sys" because
ndiswrapper itself is not installed.  In other words, you cannot wrap
other windows drivers.   You have to use another PC to connect to the
Internet in order to download the ndiswrapper package, put it on a
memory stick, boot into your Kubunut  and install it.  I couldn't find a
way to connect to the Internet from Kubuntu.   The same problem was
present in SimplyMEPIS32 6.5betas, but the release version included the
full ndiswrapper package.

THe menu structure is very simple and the installed apps are standard
for a LiveCD staying within the 698MB limit.

The time to a working desktop from a LiveCD boot was exceptionally long,
easily twice or even three times as long as the MEPIS LiveCD. 
Administration is done entirely using KDE apps.  Kubuntu seems to be a
pure KDE distro.with no special admin apps like MEPIS or PCLinuxOS.   In
that sense it appears to be entirely free of non-GPL apps.
...
> Also, I've never been very good with the whole free/non-free
> technicalities, but I'm thinking that every distro on this list is
> actually not completely free.  Stallman's site lists only Utotu,
> gNewSense, and blag as completely free. Can anyone else speak
> intelligently about this because I'll admit, I'm not sure?  
The bcm43xx wireless driver was green-room engineered and is totally
GPL, so it doesn't taint any distro.   Other drivers can be installed
using Windows drivers using ndiswrapper.   Most chip makers supply
publically downloadable windows drivers that can be wrapped by
ndiswrapper, so there is no offense there.

The main problem is with the playing of encrypted DVD movies,  certain
Microsoft and Apple media file types, Acrobat, and flash video.     The
MEPIS distro includes the following licensed apps:

Some users of MEPIS products may be bound by some or all of the
following licenses:

    * Adobe Acrobat Reader Software License
      <http://www.mepis.org/node/10361>
    * Agere LT Modem Driver License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10356>
    * ATI FGLRX Driver License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10354>
    * AVM Fritz Firmware License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10355>
    * Intel IPW Firmware License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10359>
    * Intel IPW3945 Daemon License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10358>
    * Macromedia End User Licenses <http://www.mepis.org/node/10357>
    * MEPIS Collective Work License <http://www.mepis.org/licenses/mcwl>
    * NVIDIA Driver License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10353>
    * Skype End User License <http://www.mepis.org/node/10360>
    * Sun Java 5.0 Licenses <http://www.mepis.org/node/10350>

I understand that MEPIS pays for a license to include some of these apps
in its distro so that users don't have to go to their websites and
download non-debian packages and go through the hassle of installing
them.  Others are included in the MEPIS repositories.

While I know of no distro that comes with w32 preloaded or with an
activated repository which contains it, the option remains to activate
the repository and download w32 along with css, nav4, etc..so that the
distro can play DVD movies, wma, mp3 and other file formats.  

> If it is true that every distro on the top ten list is not completely free,
> well, I guess I would just find that interesting.  It is also
> interesting to note that Ubuntu plans on releasing a completely free
> version of itself sometime.(it was announced on....umm... the 12th of
> this month I think..anyways)
>
> Martin
>   
I am not concerned about this.   When I purchased a DVD movie I demand
my right to play it on any player I have.  The DVD didn't come shrink
wrapped with a EULA which limits how I can play it.  If future DVDs do
come with such a EULA I will not buy them.


> On 4/26/07, GreyGeek <jkreps@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>   
>> Windows?
>> Yes
>> Yes
>> ;-)
>> JLK
>>
>> Jim Worrest wrote:
>>     
>>>       I thought popularity did have to do with quality?  Say ever try 
>>> CENTOS?
>>> does it work well?  ---Jim
>>>
>>> Martin Wolff wrote:
>>>
>>>       
>>>> I guessed all of these without opening the link.  It would have been
>>>> cooler if they had done an actual survey of the distributions on
>>>> something like quality or how free it is rather than the distro's
>>>> popularity on distrowatch.com.  Oh well, maybe I'll email them and
>>>> suggest that.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 4/25/07, Jim Worrest <jworrest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>>>         This something new distrowatch added. A review of the top ten 
>>>>> distros. Look it
>>>>> over.  ---Jim
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major>
>>>>>
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