Dear Guys.

Your comments are hard to unterstand. First of all: the code to build the distribution is hosted here:

http://easys-linux.org/yali/index.php?dir=YaLI%2F

ALICE ist developed together with the DARKSTAR team and you can access the SVN here:

http://websvn.darkstarlinux.ro

Everybody can take a look at it. All modifications done by us are published. We are also working on a so called MakingOf describing how the distribution has been build. I have also linked to the above sites from our download page, now

Second: I am personally contributing to Slackware for a long time, wrote Pat a lot of mails to help fixing bugs and explained problems on -current in IRC.

Third: easys is not trying to get away users from Slackware. That's why we don't call it a fork. easys is trying to bring new users to the great Distribution. AND: the logical upgrade path from easys is called Slackware.

So: if you are already a Slacker: great, if you are new to Slackware and feel to try the original: also great, if you are afraid of using an English only, text based installer and would'nt use Slackware otherwise: try easys.

That's all.

Best Regards
Marcus Moeller

Indeed, now this information is linked from your site, but before it was not. The same goes for the darkstarlinux web site.
Additionally, I cannot find any of the source code and scripts for the "original Slackware packages" that are part of your distro. The GPL license of that source code requires that you offer download facilities for these sources on the same server as where the binary code is beingmade available; i.e. it is not sufficient to point people to any Slackware mirror. You have to host copies of them.
This is a lazyness that more forks than just easys are guilty of.

I do not doubt the fact that you are you like Slackware. In fact that would seem logical, because you use it as a base to your own distro.

Eric

Dear Eric.

I did not know that we needed to copy the source tree. Thought linking is just enough. (has notithg to do with lacyness). I am going to prepare a mirror of the packages, asap. The download locations to the source files have been published in the forum, before. Now they are bundled on the Download page.

Please note, that in the future the easys components are also published as AddOn for Slackware.

Best Wishes
Marcus

If you are going to add the sources for the Slackware packages that are part of easys to the easys repository that would be great. The GPL is something to be taken seriously.

What you could consider for easys (it is something that I have wanted to build in the past) is revamping it into a custom Slackware installer distributed as an ISO, where the installer asks for a Slackware repository as part of the installation process (on a DVD, CD set, network server, NFS, you name it). That way everybody wins - Slackware will remain the distro that is going to be installed; your easys gains fame as a Slackware installer for those who need another language than english, and this Easys Slackware installer can take care of post-install configuration for the end user as well (including the installation of add-on packages that are not in Slackware itself - compare it to the several Gnome add-on installers like GnomeSlackBuild, Gware and Dropline Gnome).

Eric

Dear Eric.

That may be an option for YaLI in general. We could add a feature like package and mirror selection, of course.

easys has a bit different approach. It uses something like image technology (currently a big tarball, but also capable for lzma compression) to deploy a complete system very fast.

Some of the main goals for the feature is a 1-click backup creation tool. This will build a image of your currently installed Slackware Linux system, pack it together with YaLI and build a bootable DVD out of it.

With this technology you can easily create backups of an installed system that may be recovered on different hardware, too.

I am also trying to publish the MakingOf the image creation process this weekend, to make our image creation process a bit clearer.

Best Regards
Marcus

Isn't copyright an infringement of the GPL?

I'm not an expert, but I like to test Linux distributions.
About easys GNU/Linux, just :

From http://easys.gnulinux.de/en/index.php
But TextMaker and PlanMaker are nor Slackware packages, nor GNU/Linux applications. You should correct this.

I think you are reading this the wrong way. They mean that the Slackware packages they use in Easys are unmodified.

Eric

Hi all.

I have finished the MakingOf the base.tgz image. You can take a look at:

http://easys.gnulinux.de/en/index.php/Main/BaseBuild

We have also updated the Philosophy page. I hope this clarifies or intends. And also note: easys is not a newcomer project. We deploy our distribution since 2001. So what's the 'evil' word for friend.

Best Regards
Marcus

Marcus,

all of this is exciting news. I apologize for any prior rudeness and thank you for the attentiveness you have shown recently. I hope easys and Slackware can be good friends, and hopefully the users will follow suit.

Hi,
The license is a very interesting read.

Hi,
You should proof read the 'Philosophy page'. I have made some suggestions below.


should be something like;



Should be something like;

should be something like;

It was a sort of rhetorical question. I have read the GPL. It stresses the concept of copyleft as opposed to copyright. I just felt that remarks such as "parasitical" and "stealing" were too much like M$'s description of the open source movement as a "cancer", stealing their "intellectual property".

Hello onebuck,

thanks a lot for your hints and suggestions! I followed your corrections and merged them with our 'Philosophy' document.
I wrote most of the documents in our english section. Any help of native speakers is highly appreciated :-)

With our best thanks!

Kind Regards,
Carsten

Hi,
You're welcome!

I noticed another minor error in your 'Philosphy' document;

should be;

I do think that communication of this type about 'easys' should be independent of 'LQ'. You can contact me via my LQ email.