I'm distro hopping, please advice (T61)

[rm]

Open source code remains open and does not turn proprietary under the BSD license. Your examples are of new development on existing code.

Well yes, that is what I mean. In other words, a fork of BSD code can be closed source. I don't like that for the OS layers since it tends to foster incompatibilities and an unleveled playing field.

Also, I am free to take the GPL and bundle it with my independent program while using whatever closed license I want with said program. See section 2 of the GPL.

Yes, you can bundle it and distribute the GPL code with your application, as long as you make the same source available to all as GPL, but you can't link directly to it on your closed source app unless it itself is GPL as well. In other words, you can use it, but you can not make a fork of it and turn it close source.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#LinkingWithGPL

BSD's bundling of userland and kernel is much more correct than most Linux distributions for this avid Linux user and professional. I think this is the strongest argument for BSD.

It may be, but it does not trump the fact that a GPL OS assures a level playing field for everyone, in my opinion.

PS: LGPL does allow closed source programs to link to it. That is why some libraries in Linux use LGPL instead. I think that is a fair compromise, but it shouldn't go beyond that at that level.

[lightweight]

I did not suggest a fork of a GPL program nor am I a lawyer, and we're arguably in semantics, but the GPL states:

A compilation of a covered work with other separate and independent works, which are not by their nature extensions of the covered work, and which are not combined with it such as to form a larger program, in or on a volume of a storage or distribution medium, is called an “aggregate” if the compilation and its resulting copyright are not used to limit the access or legal rights of the compilation's users beyond what the individual works permit. Inclusion of a covered work in an aggregate does not cause this License to apply to the other parts of the aggregate.

<3

[rm]

Exactly what I said.

[michaaa62]

Hi rm,
how about "bleeding edge"?
Sidux (www.sidux.com) is Debian Sid, aka unstable, made possible by some great devs working around the possible bugs of pure Debian Unstable.
Small image of KDE-LiveCD or even smaller with KDE-lite (400MB), installable (around 15 min.), 'apt-get'-able for everything that is in debian, great community.
Some script are making upgrades easy.
But exspect frequent and sometimes large update downloads!

cheers Micha

[madcow]

I wonder if distro hopping is a addictive hobby.. I'm wasting a lot of time playing with different distro.

[rm]

micha,

I think I am set for now with the distros I chose. I like them quite a bit for different reasons. I love having three different distros installed on my laptop at the same time. It turns into a sort of swiss army knife that can handle different situations. I mentioned some examples on my writeup. Another example is compatibility with a new HP printer I just bought. It requires HPLIP 2.7.9 or newer. Currently, only PCLinuxOS meets that requirement since it has 2.7.10-2 in the repos. So, I can use PCLOS until the others catch up.


Madcow,

Yes, distro hopping can be addictive, so be careful. Seriously. PCLinuxOS has been referred to by many of its users as the "Distro Hopper Stopper". It certainly was true for me until I got my new laptop. It required a couple of tweaks (mentioned on my follow up writeup), but it is now running flawlessly on it. If you haven't tried it do so. It may save you from turning into a distro junky.