Looking for developers

[ghost1227]

Before I get into what exactly I am looking for, let me tell you a little about myself. My introduction to Linux came through a copy of Red Hat 2.4 given to me by a friend. As new distributions were introduced, I went through the typical distro-hopping spree that many Linux users go through. After spending time with Slackware, Gentoo, Fedora, Debian, and half a dozen others I finally settled down with Arch. Over several years, I became a Bug Wrangler, then a Trusted User, and finally joined the Arch Developer Team. For various reasons, I recently stepped down and decided it was time to develop my own distro.

So why another Linux distro? Several reasons, perhaps most importantly the challenge and knowledge to be gained. Additionally, I haven't found a distro that completely suits me. Some aren't stable enough, some are too conservative. Some take too much choice away from the user, some allow full customization but at the expense of usability. The list goes on. As such, I am now working on what will hopefully become a viable Linux distribution henceforth known as Distro X (hey, I haven't come up with a decent name yet).

What is Distro X?
Distro X is an attempt to create a Linux distribution with a focus on extensibility and choice. Through the assembly of a dedicated community of developers, trusted users and (eventually) bug-wranglers, Distro X is being developed in the spirit of Linux and the open source community.

Through the dedication of its development team, it is also intended to be built as an open source distribution with the potential to eventually compete in the commercial market. Once Distro X is deemed suitable for commercial sale, it will be provided at little more than cost, covering only end-user essentials, documentation and furthering its development.

Why is Distro X being developed?
Distro X is being developed to fill a hole in the Linux distribution map. Mainstream distributions are frequently developed with a singular purpose in mind. Distributions like Ubuntu are designed with new users in mind, where installation and configuration takes little more than a single keypress. While this may be ideal for a user just coming into the Linux community, many users may find this setup too restrictive. Conversely, distributions like Arch are more focused on advanced users, providing nothing more than a command line and expecting the user to figure out deployment for themselves. Debian, while extremely stable, tends to lag behind other distributions in terms of its release cycle, and Red Hat caters exclusively to enterprise users.

We believe that in an ideal distribution, users should have as much say in the deployment of their system as possible. As such, when a Distro X live CD is booted, users will have the ability to choose whether to install via command line, dialog, or GUI. Users who want a simplified system will be given the opportunity to utilize graphical configuration systems, while advanced users can opt out and customize via the command line. Unlike most mainstream distributions, Distro X does not provide a so-called default X environment. This allows the user to define the parameters of their own system, be it through the use of a full DE such as GNOME or KDE, or a more minimalistic system utilizing a Window Manager such as Openbox or XMonad.

Distro X is being developed as neither a purely source distro, nor a purely binary distro. Similar to Arch, the core of the distro will be distributed in binary format, as will certain critical and/or common-use packages. Build scripts will be provided for all packages in the official repositories so that users may easily recompile them to suit their own needs. An additional repository will be provided for user-contributed and -maintained packages. While not officially supported, these packages will be monitored by designated trusted users, and packages may be migrated to official repositories if deemed popular enough.

Official development teams will be governed by a set of by-laws to be laid out by the initial developers at a later date. Joining any of the development teams constitutes acceptance of the aformentioned by-laws. Members who repeatedly disregard the by-laws can result in removal from their position.

If you've made it this far, then at the very least you are likely interested in the possibility of a new distribution and I would love to hear from you. If you think you have something to contribute to this project, be it through core development, UI design, release engineering or something else altogether, please let me know! Regardless, if you've made it this far, please make a post and let me know what you think!

[Rubberman]

Good for you! and good luck also. I'd be interested, but I'm already involved with another new RHEL6 clone distribution, so no time for additional FOSS involvements...

[ghost1227]

I have to admit, I'm surprised I've only gotten one reply. I didn't expect a lot of volunteers, but I expected at least a few comments.

[elija]

What happens is that every now and then we gat a post similar to your. I'm starting a new distribution .... fill in the blanks ... and then that's it they never post again and you never see these new distributions appear. So, forgive my cynicism, but I'm equally surprised to see you posting back. It's refreshing and makes me think that maybe these guys are actually going to do it!

Can I help with developing the distribution? Nope! don't have the skill set.
Am I your target market? No idea, but given that I love trying different distributions there is a a good chance I'll at least give it a go.

I will wish you good luck however

[ghost1227]

I appreciate the reply! It's true that there are more people expressing interest in developing a distribution than there are those with the will and drive to follow through. However, I have spent the majority of my life involved in one major development project or another and as a result, I feel like there's something missing when I'm not on one. As such, I have the drive needed to actually finish what I start. Besides, giving something back to the open source community is always gratifying.

I would like to think that you are exactly my target market. After all, as expressed in my initial post, the whole purpose of this distribution is to give choice back to the users. I believe that the perfect OS is one in which all choice rests solely in the hands (or the keyboards) of those using it. If you're comfortable with a command-line driven installation, you've got it! If you prefer graphical installation and configuration, use it! If you want KDE, GNOME, XMonad, or even LiteStep, the packages and build scripts needed are just a click away, and are as close to upstream as possible. It's your system, have it your way. I can only hope that once this project really takes off and a viable prototype is available you'll try it out and at the very least give us feedback!

Thanks again for responding!

[ghost1227]

Still looking for potential developers, and still struggling along. Just thought I'd stop in and let you know that I haven't given up!

[godel]

Are you still looking for developers for your project?