For a while now, I've been putting alot of focus on a new distribution for myself. Kubuntu doesn't boot on my laptop (atleast, edgy doesn't), I don't want to use SUSE anymore, so on... Now I know alot out there believe there are too many distributions already... but heres a few thoughts.

I'm still not happy with the distributions out there - and I don't mean because I have an itch to scratch. None, and I mean none, of the distributions out there fit my needs/wants. Some of its packaging, some of it is DE, some is apps, and some of it is the desire to remain a linux zealot. Heres my thing:

1) I love KDE. Hands down, its my desktop of choice. I like the configurability, the overall feel, the tight integration, etc. I want a KDE-Centric distro.

2) Can't just have a desktop... need apps to get the job done. Me, I want KOffice, Kontact, and all the regular KDE big hitters - but I want a bit more than that. I want a working KPilot so I can sync with my Treo, I want NetworkManager because I change my network often - thats what a laptop is for, and I want a damn GUI for package management. Do I need one? No, I want one.

3) To continue with package management... we've got source and we've got binary. We should be able to easily combine both. Imho, the default should be to grab a binary, and there should be a checkbox or combo box to choose a source-based option. Once the selections have been made, the options for each source package would come up one by one for additional compilation options (not optimization, but support options) a la debian and pre/post install operations. Dependencies could be resolved through this mythical package manager, and source and binary would coexist beautifully.

4) I hate RPM. Deb isn't bad, but imho RPM sucks. We need an extensible format. Sure, theres autopackage, and then theres ebuilds, and so on - more elsewhere related to this.

5) I want it Free. Free as in Freedom. I'm a pretty hardcore zealot, and I will absolutely refuse to use proprietary drivers if an open source driver will do the job. Which is why I buy intel - i have a strong preference to those companies who involve themselves in the open source process. That said, if there isn't an alternative... having the proprietary stuff available is still a Good Thing (TM).

6) I want a graphical installer. Not because I can't go text based, or go from scratch, but because I just don't damn want to. I want a pretty picture while I pull an abortion job on the prefab partitions the installer mentions, but I want those prefab partitions there for my friends who try out Linux and don't know what to do.

7) I want my startups fast. I like upstart, I think the idea is brilliant, and I'd use it (If Kubuntu would even boot on my laptop.... 6.06 worked... wtf edgy?). I like having my services "talk" via dbus. Thats what its there for - communication between processes.

8) I want my hardware to mount nicely. If I have a USB device, and I plug it in, its *my* device. I don't want to go in and change the privileges - it should be assumed I want this to happen. And if I didn't, and I'm administering a Linux box, I'd damn well better know how to change that feature, or I shouldn't be an admin. However, this is my box, my laptop, my tablet, whatever - a USB device is (more often than not) *my* device, and my OS should consider it just that.

9) I want my distro maintainers to be appreciative of support, but not ask for it. I was turned off by the attitude of an american distro that seemed quite interesting, and went off to the forum to look at it... and found a maintainer begging for money. Ok, I can understand the need for money for hosting. But it was the attitude behind it, like it was owed to them that the moment they ask, a billion dollars in donations should pour in. Screw that. A company being behind it is ok, as long as they act in the best interest of my ideals... otherwise, it doesn't work for #5.

10) Last, and perhaps final, I want an easy upgrade path. Theres no reason I should have to reinstall, or do a significant upgrade (as in dist-upgrade or other). If I want to, I should be able to upgrade to the latest stable packages as I go, and have it be that new release, without having actually done a full install, or an upgrade from CD, or whatever. Gentoo style.

Ok, I think that sums it up. I really doubt something is out there that really fits me, but if you know of one, please mention it. Also, if you've got your own gripes, post em on up. Let the LQ world know and share in your pain.

The beauty of Linux and open source is that if you really can't stand something, you have the power to do something about it. Create your own distribution, modify things in a current one, learn to program. Be proactive.

Good luck.

As always, time is the issue - I would if I had any, but at the moment, I'm pretty much overbooked Should I get some in the future, sure... probably will. In the meanwhile, I'd love to hear what others want and can't find - I know I can't be the only one who feels like the distributions out there just don't quite get them.

I want peace on earth, a clean environment, and "a sixpack of sunshine for everyone."

Unfortunately, I can't wave my hands and make it happen. So I pattern my life around the effort to do what I can in my own miniscule milieu, and that makes me happy.

windows vista is just what you need.

Seriously there are over 400+ distros, try PCLinuxOS, Debian, Slackware, Mandriva, Fedora Core, until you have tried the top 20 distros and a few livecds you never know which one you will like.

If none work for you for some weird reason there is always LFS.

No, I don't need Vista. I haven't used Windows at home in years. Its on my laptop for work for autocad only - and no, theres no way an alternative can fit the bill there. I've been trying since 2000.

Not to start anything distro-combative, but I thought I should point out some things that bring me to my thoughts.

myahos(?) was the one where I was a bit disturbed by the devs/maintainers. Really put me off from considering it. Arch really looks great, but I'd love to see it have a better installer. I'll be testing it out on a new machine anyways. Kubuntu definitely is a fave of mine, but I've also been a bit put off by Shuttleworth of late - both for his comments to the OpenSUSE devs, and with his desire to include non free packages with the default install of feisty. I used to be a big fan of SUSE, but really it was the focus on Mono that put me off. Now with the latest deal (interoperability and virtualization aside, thats ok, its the patent deal that irks me), I just refuse to use it anymore. I have been using a very modified SUSE for my laptop for about 4 months now, since I picked up my laptop. Gentoo would work great for me, except for my constant updates and thus compiling - I have another machine that will be quite steady, with only a few packages being updated on the regular, and that will be a gentoo box. I was impressed by sabayon, but again, the focus on the non-free stuffs bothers me morally, I personally just don't want to go that route. The Fedora devs always impress me, but their skills and knowledge are in the C and gtk world, so not what I'm looking for. I like slack, but some of the specific packages I use can be a bit of a bitch. I may go freebsd again, but its been a long time - maybe 10 years? PCLinuxOS and Ark both seem interesting, but I don't know if the total focus on beginner stuff may prove to be irritating to me in the long run. I'm a KDE guy because I like having options available to me, and many of these "Beginner" distros take these options away for "ease of use". I've gone the LFS route, but theres alot of effort there, especially since the kernel devs have changed their development cycle, having a "more or less" stable release, letting the rest be up to the distributions.

Well, that was a bit longer than expected, but there it is. I've tried plenty, none fit, and don't have time to deal with LFS. I didn't start this thread as a "Please tell me which distro I should use" thread, but more of a "These are things I wish distributions would think about, because its what I want - what about you?" kind of thread.

you are everything ...

take away *your* morals and ethics and you will be fine ...


//suggestion ...


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I concur with derxob, create your own distribution or tailor an existing distribution to your needs/preferences.

Yeah... but then what kind of person would I be?

SlackerDex... eh, maybe. I'm more likely to mod something existing than go LFS again. But, theres quite a bit of thinking that would go into that too. Ah well, atleast I've vented

CuCullin, exactly what do you want???

Turn off your computer and open a book.

>> "Yeah... but then what kind of person would I be?

SlackerDex... eh, maybe. I'm more likely to mod something existing than go LFS again. But, theres quite a bit of thinking that would go into that too. Ah well, atleast I've vented"

thanks for the hosting for sometime i need a host ...


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