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Re: [PLUG] is there an audience for linux matrix?
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bergman@merctech.com wrote:
However, I think there's one very important thing that's been overlooked in
this discussion. The Linux Matrix will only be useful if it is continually
maintained at a high level of accuracy. This would be a tremendous commitment
to on-going research and site administration.
Very very true.
Regardless of how the information is presented, what interface is used, etc.,
the whole concept relies on the completeness and accuracy of the data. Since
the vendors of different Linux distributions don't have a standardized format
(XML, csv, or even text that can be machine parsed) for describing the
requirements and capabilities of their distributions, maintaining the Linux
Matrix would require a huge amount of work. Imagine monitoring LWN,
DistroWatch, linux.org, linuxhq.com, etc. on a daily or weekly basis in order
to get timely announcements of new or updated distributions.
I have imagined this. It seems like a daunting task, at best. At
worst, it would be a show stopper. There are some distros which would
be cake to represent (new features are not added to debian stable). If
there were ads on the site (not as many as distrowatch) which made it
self-sustaining, I would consider making it a full-time job. Of course,
there is always the option of polling distros and asking if there is
anyone who would want to act as a liaison or even parse the information
for linuxmatrix. There are a few ways to go about this. Possibility
exists to make this similar to a wiki so that the (pre-selected)
representatives for each distro may change the information at their whim.
For example, the
hypothetical FooBar might list:
RAM Requirement for FooBar distribution:
embedded systems installation (ARM) 32MB
embedded systems installation (x86) 64MB
kiosk installation 256MB
desktop installation 512MB
desktop installtion (SPARC) 768MB
internet server installation 512MB
developer installation 1GB
developer installation (Itanium) 2GB
desktop + graphics installation 1.5GB
database server installation 2GB
Does this mean that FooBar has 10 separate entries in the Matrix? Do you list
RAM requirements as being "32MB to 2GB"? Is the minimum RAM simply 32MB? Do you
exclude particular flavors of the release?
After re-reading schwepes' request, it seems that the need which was
expressed is one for information on appropriate distros for archaic
hardware. I can't simply say "this distro is appropriate for older
machines", as that would be an opinion, and a glaringly generalized one
at that (the definition of 'archaic equipment' would be different for
most people). OTOH, stating a RAM requirement of 32MB -> 2GB would be
unhelpful. As you stated it, the logistics of this make it nearly
impossible, so I simply don't know the answer to this one!
Overall...it sounds like a good idea, but I seriously question whether such a
cross-system comparison can possibly be self sustaining, unless there's a
significant on-going investment in personnel, or unless the vendors make system
requirements and features available in a standardized, parseable format.
Thanks. I hope it becomes community-driven. I also wish for the
engine to be open source, eventually.
___________________________________________________________________________
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