Re: Distros specifically designed for children

On 2025-05-29, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 29 May 2025 11:53:40 -0000 (UTC), Borax Man wrote:
>

Fragmentation in Linux becomes a barrier to entry.

>
Clearly not, else we would not be getting those new entrants all the time.
>

Software authors and vendors have complained about this for 15 years at
least too.

>
The only “software authors and vendors” I have heard complain about the
variety of Linux distros are the ones hawking proprietary products. The
ones who do Free Software don’t have to worry, since it’s not their
problem: it’s up to the respective distro maintainers to make the software
available in the relevant packaging system.
>

Proprietary software does matter.  Many people use it.

Also, if the distro maintainers don't package your software, you either
do it yourself, or leave it as an exercise to the user, which you cannot
assume the user would know how to do it.

Likewise with configuration.  Having set up Linux systems for others,
and servers, subtle differences become blockers when Distro X modifies
the base software and the instructions, for a different distro don't
quite work.  These are not insurmountable, but pain points which
increase cost.

>
Never come across any such “pain points”. Feel free to point some out.
>

Setting up Apache with MariaDB, subtle differences in configuration mean
that the instructions you find online may not work, because another
distro has different default passwords, or sets a default password where
another might not.

Also differences in system services, how they are configured.

Linux could have gone this way, if there the first distro was the sole
distro for several years and gained mindshare as THE Linux.

>
Do you think somebody should step in and force an end to all this freedom?
How would they go about it, do you think? Would moving to proprietary
licences help?

No, I don't think there is much that can be done now.  It is what it is.