A new hope: project Independence

[jfm2@club-internet.fr]

			The project Independence  Manifesto.


-The goal: trying to make Linux user friendlier.
-Concentrating on the job of a distribution developper.
-Analyzing our public.
-Going step by step.
-A call for collaboration.
-About leadership.
-Statute of project Independence.
-Miscellanea.


1)  The goal: trying to make Linux user friendlier.

Linux can only reach the people who are able to use it.  The easier it
becomes the greatest its spreading.  Therefore making Linux easier to
use both for future and present users is absolute priority for the
Linux cause.


2) Concentrating on the job of a distribution developper

A distribution developer's job is NOT developping application software
or kernel hacking even if at times he can fix some things or try to
influence kernel developpers.  His job is collecting software, package
it and provide installation software along with some administrative
tools.

By himslef a distribution developper cannot make Linux as easy as some
other systems no matter how hard he works.  The sheer power of Linux
means than there are more things to know than in some other systems
just like NT is harder than Win95.  Even with a superb install and
adminstrative tools Linux application software is not as oriented
towards easiness of use than the one available for Windows and Macs.
What the distribution developper can hope is than by making a better
install and choosing easier software he will be able to attract some
users to Linux who would have shun it otherwise.  That would change
the sociology of Linux and would incite application developpers to
making easier software.  Then the distribution developper iterates the
process.


3) Analyzing our potential users.

At present time a person never having touched a computer has not heard
of Linux.  Beginning Linux users have had some computer experience
with Microsoft operating systems.  That means than for now it is
useless to waste resources in supersophisticated installation
software than would allow a complete computer illiterate to install
Linux.

OS2 users or people having LANs at home tend to have a good computer
grasp.  Besides they are a minority, no special developments for them.

The typical Linux beginner comes from Windows 3 or Windows 95 and has
one of them on his hard disk.  He has some computing experience.  He
acquired some computing experince in Windows.  Often he wants to be
able to run both systems even if only to use his favourite Win95
games.  That user is our target.


4) Going step by step.

The first phase would be done in a couple of months by a small closed
group: five persons at most including me. In this phase we would be
putting together a repository of user friendly software for beginners.
This way users having a problem with RedHat could download one of our
alternative packages.  That would be existing software.  Beginners
don't use it presently because either it is not in RPM format, it is
badly packaged or more likely because it is dispersed through the net
or nearly impossible to find in the software haystack of your typical
mirror site.  Thus the idea of a site dedicated to packaged user
friendly software.  I think I can convince a friend for making a Win95
app allowing to start Linux with a double click for people who prefer
using LOADLIN.  At this point we can become public and make an
announcement in order to have people using our software and get more
developpers.

Second phase: After the announcement we would (I hope) get people
contributing software to us.  Because we are targetting end users it
is vital than packaging be good: as an example of what not to allow I
have seen packages with executables outside standard PATH and not
taking provisions for extending it.  We also would have to make
periodic announcements about people being able to get easier software
at our site.  Because now we would have more people it would be time
to become more ambitious and get involved in programing: we could fix
or replace some of Redhat software.  We could also try to improve part
of the doc.

Third phase: If by that time we find RH install is not good enough
then provide an alternative installation.  Our users would put their
RedHat CD into the reader and instead of booting with the Redhat
floppy would use our install.  At some points that install would be
looking for files in the Windows 95 partition instead of the RH CD.
We would have provided the install and some additional software thanks
one of those self extracting ZIP archives common in DOS world.

Successive phases no longer depend on us because to go farther we
would need to attract a CD or book publisher.  But notice than if we
complete the first phase (a repository of user friendly software) then
Independence would already be useful for making Linux easier and having
people using Linux instead of becoming frustrated and returning to
DOS.

Notice than working this way would allow us to be useful to Linux and
to beginners as soon as we complete first phase.

Why I am choosing Redhat?  Because despite being published by a
commercial company Redhat distrib is free.  Because if you want to
make an end user distribution there is less work to be done starting
from Redhat.  Because about every other distrib short of Debian and
Slackware is using RPM so improved Redhat packages would benefit more
people than if we use another format.  In addition if a package needs
to be adapted to another distrib it is easier to do when they use the
same packaging format: at one point someone could volunteer to
maintain them for other RPM-using distribs.  The fundamental point
however is than I start from Redhat and RPM because we are not
targetting computer geeks and RedHat can be found in stores whose
public is mostly non geeks.  In addition Redhat is (with Slackware)
what most Linux beginners are using and getting at this time.
Therefore using another distribution would be unefficient for helping
them and for spreading Linux to a wider public.



4) A call for collaboration.

I need four persons to help me.  Not more.  A big group is clumsy and
I want decisions to be fast.  In a small group like this quality must
compensate for lack of quantity.

I am good at packaging software, have a good knowledge of kernel
matters, have tried nearly every Linux distribution known and have a
ggod knowledge of the software available (not ever tried but have
heard of it)..

I would like someone well versed in networking problems, specially the
problems met by a dial-up user.  I also want someone well versed in
scripting languages specially Perl.  Because I envision a Web site for
the software repository it would be nice to find someone who knows
HTML and CGI scripts.  Finally I need a second good packager: one of
us would build libc5 packages (RH 4.2) and the other would build glibc
packages (RH 5).  In first phase we would barely write a line of
program: accent must go in finding and in packaging software.

People interested should contact me at: jfm2@club-internet.fr don't
post to this list because I will be unsubscribing shortly also don't
forget the 2 in jfm2 otherwise mail would go to another person.

Conditions for applying:
 First we need fast communications if we want to make progress so
unless than you are out of town you must try to answer mail in 24
hours at most.
  Second you must be conscious we would have a lot of work.
  Third and most important you have to _explicitly_ accept the terms
of the statute of Project Independence (see below).

Another thing this project needs is a site with permanent access to
the Net.  I have good hopes of getting one of my contacts allowing us
to use a box in an university but it would be best if we had one
belonging to a member of the group.


5) Leadership.

When decisions have to be taken it is best to have someone able to
settle discussions instead of having discussions going on forever.
But if you think I will nominate myself Great Leader and
Marshall-President for life you will be disappointed.  In a free
project nobody is paying nobody so the leader is simply the best man
or woman in the group.  And that is measured with the quelity of his
work and of his ideas.  Creating a project is not enough for claiming
leadership.  At one point it will be evident than one of us has the
clearer thoughts so he will settle discussions.  It will not
necessarily be me.

Notice however than I am filtering candidates so members of this
project will be people agreeing with the goals stated in this post :-)


6)  Statute of project Independence.

I) This project is created for making Linux easier to present users
and allowing its spreading between people who are not using it now due
to lack the necessary computing skill.

II) Software developped by this project will be covered by GPL version
2 or LGPL according to the nature of the software.

III) Making Linux easier is more important for its future than any
other project so in no circumstnces people of this project will accept
than this project be absorbed by a distribution.  A Linux publisher
can use our work (it is GPLed) or help us but conditional help will be
refused.

IV) Distribution wars will not be tolerated.  Any person hyping or
making derogatory comments about any Linux distribution will be
expulsed of this project.  The only tolerated comment over a
distribution would be for attracting attention towards a feature who
would be useful to have in SEUL or if the person commenting has been
mandated to evaluate a distribution.  We are working for spreading
Linux not any particular distribution.

V) Because we are striving for a user friendly Linux we want to be
efficient and reach the greatest number possible of users.  Therefore
we will base on the distribution most fit for the job.  It must be
reasonably user friendly and have a big user base specially between
beginners.  That choice can be changed every year according to
evolution of user base and of technical improvements introduced in
distributions.


Comments: I never want to have what we have had in SEUL: people trying
to push the distrubution they were using instead of thinking in the
project.  Also I want to avoid Independence being lured out its way and
become a satellite of any distribution.  I reiterate: making Linux
user friendlier is important enough to not allow this project becoming
just a pawn of another distribution.


7)  Miscellenea:

If any project is created to use the Step-by-step approach (begin with
a repository of free software) but based on other distribs or
packaging formats then some contacts could be maintained between
Independence and this project allowing to attract attntion about
software beneficial to the other project.  However people contacting
Independence members must agree on the No Distributions Wars point in
the statutes of Independence otherwise contacts will be cut.

I guess we will have to find a better name than Independence: a bit
pompous.  :-)



-- 
			Jean Francois Martinez

The worthy man is the one who would drink muddy water if such is the
water of truth.


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