IxGuy |
02-02-2013 09:16 PM |
Trisquel's status & direction
Quote:
Originally Posted by zziggy
(Post 4883079)
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The Trisquel 5.5 release is based on Ubuntu 11.10 and is still supported by Canonical. Trisquel is significantly different in that it only includes free software. If you don't care about your freedom then it doesn't really have anything special to offer. For such users having the latest software is a secondary concern.
That said Trisquel is one of the most up to date and usable distributions for more novice users. Trisquel 6 which is based on Ubuntu 12.04 is just around the corner. The reason Trisquel 6 has taken so long to be released is there have been some major changes in Ubuntu in the past year. This has caused significantly more work for developers of derivative distributions. This issue has not just impacted Trisquel. Other 11.10 and 12.04 distributions have taken longer to be get out the door than usual. Some distributions (like ZorinOS) skipped the 11.10 release altogether. Others like Trisquel haven't skipped a release and instead are falling a bit behind. This will work itself out in time though.
And if you think 11.10 is old there has been talk about moving Trisquel to a strictly LTS distribution. This would benefit users in giving them a consistent user interface for years on end while still getting support and updates to critical components. Pieces such as the web browser, HPLIP (HP printers), and the linux-libre kernel that the distribution uses. Such a move could turn it into the best supported and most stable distribution around.
It isn't as critical though to move to such a setup right now. Most users of GNU/Linux are still very technical and Trisquel has some other soft spots for novice users that should be worked out first (then again- so do all distributions to one degree or another). Other more pressing issues are support for flash or at least a means of accessing entertainment. There is very little support for online entertainment at the moment which is compatible with Trisquel (other than non-commercial YouTube content).
Fortunately ThinkPenguin has taken an interest in the distribution being one of the few easy to use and actively maintained purely free distributions. The company has done a lot to alleviate some of the usability issues. The company makes it a priority distribution to support because it is a “pure” distribution. What most people don't understand is that this has many advantages beyond the ethical. I don't mean to discredit the ethical reasons for using only free software. Rather this is an appeal to both sides to be nice to one another. Users of distributions such as Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and others are better supported by the fact ThinkPenguin only ships hardware that can be supported by the community.
While such a setup works out very well for ThinkPenguin it would be easier if there was support for newer hardware on LTS distributions. If Trisquel backports things like linux-libre, hplip, abrowser (firefox), and other critical packages there would be more stability, polish, support, and ease of use for novice users. This probably won't happen though unless ThinkPenguin steps in and finances it. Something they aren't in a position to do at the moment and with the lead developer having less time to work on the distribution it is unlikely to be a priority. The good news is the distribution is moving toward a community model that can withstand the loss of the lead developer. There are now regular meetings and more responsibilities are being handed over to other actively involved parties.
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