[indiana-discuss] OpenSolaris five hits

[James Cornell]

Marcelo Leal wrote:
> Thanks a lot, but i would like to be more specific and "less formal"
> to the features...
> Create "five hits" like "five simple phrases" that touch the features
> without say "dtrace, zfs, or whatever"...
> That's why i did write something like "time machine". That is not a
> product by solaris, but is some concept we can use to describe the
> ability to rollback from a "bad" update without say what zfs is.
> I will talk about smf, dtrace, zfs, zones (maybe to explain the
> magic), etc... but i want to create "simple phrases" about the
> "pratical feature for the user", and no the "formal concept".
>  Can you understand?
>  Keep in mind desktop users (ubuntu, windows), not developers... i
> think in explore zfs, because i think is the main feature for home
> users.  Maybe some simple confiuration to create a zone for internet
> navigation and "guest" users at home?
> (I add your comments):
> 1 -  Package Management:
>    You can install a package, update a application, or upgrade the
> whole system with just few commands.
>   (Here i can compare to debian, gentoo, like you said)
> 2 - Efficient and reliable upgrade procedure:
>     You can upgrade the whole operating system, and go back in time
> for your previous working system as fast as you find "problems" in the
> new environment.
>     (Here i will say again about time machine (Tim's auto-snap ?),
> that is something users will like, for sure.
> 3 - Popular Packages:
>     GIMP, OPENOFFICE.ORG, EKIGA, etc...
>   (Here, would be nice if i had already tested the "orange box" on
> solaris... I have it working on wine+ubuntu+nvidia card, but i don't
> have another HD to make a "native" opensolaris install to test. If the
> wine on Solaris/OpenSolaris is working just like in ubuntu (video
> drivers), would be a really nice example to desktop users! Somebody
> has some info about this?)
> 4 - Support:
>     (Here you are thinking in support by opensolaris.com?) I think is
> a good point. Many people think that open software does not have
> support (the community is the best support i ever had), but if they
> want to buy one (for home desktop), they can too.
> 5 - ???
>  Thanks a lot for your time!
>
>  Leal.
>
> 2008/5/30 James Cornell <sparcdr at gmail.com>:
>   
>> Marcelo Leal wrote:
>>     
>>> I'm thinking in use OpenSolaris to talk about operating systems for
>>> desktop users, in a little event we will have here... one goal of
>>> 2008.05 is desktop users, with packaging managenment, gnu user land
>>> softwares, so on...
>>>  The question for you guys, is:
>>>  "What features would you list, and how to explain that features for
>>> desktop users"?
>>>  I mean, we could list "zfs", but "time machine" is better to "talk
>>> about"... how talk about the excellent opensolaris features using
>>> "simple" words, like things they can "feel" more easily? Like "five"
>>> hits, we have 15 minutes. :)
>>>  I would appreciate your opinions and suggestions!
>>>
>>>  Thanks,
>>>
>>>  Leal.
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>> 1.)  - Base system
>> ZFS on OpenSolaris Indiana (Rollback, Root File System)
>> Fingerprint of OpenSolaris 2008.5 versus SX:CE
>> Dual binary mode integration (32-bit and 64-bit on one CD)
>> Virtualization (xVM, VirtualBox, Zones, BrandZ)
>> GNOME (Highlight features, at this moment mainly developer related
>> underlying changes)
>>
>> 2.) Developer Technologies -
>> DTrace (Java 6 probes, integration, etc)
>> GNU Userland (Compilers, Libraries, Tools)
>>
>> 3.) Package Management -
>> IPS (Compare to Debian and FreeBSD Ports)
>> SVR4 package support (For compatibility)
>>
>> 4.) Popular Packages -
>> GIMP (Compare to Photoshop, Pixel highlighting key things most people do on
>> all with GIMP)
>> Ekiga (Highlight features to Skype, such as standards and interoperability)
>> OpenOffice.org (Highlight MS Office compatibility and licensing)
>> Games (Freeciv, Quake, FlightGear, potential ports like UrbanTerror)
>>
>> 5.) Support -
>> Distribution, licensing, coverage
>> Who's in charge?  Where to find help.  Where to report bugs.
>>
>> James
>>
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>   
A agree with some of your arguments but "Time Machine" is an Apple 
trademark... they at least cater to home users, and it's easy to use, 
you can't say non-developers call command-line easy.  Most people who 
switch to Ubuntu hardly use the command-line, because they are Windows 
users at heart just trying to save a buck and make a few gains.

Orange Box is not gonna work on OpenSolaris until TransGaming or 
CodeWeavers makes some sort of port of their game-specific 
implementation available to OpenSolaris.  I would not recommend trying 
to retrofit a stock version of Wine to work with games, anything that 
requires cd checks would be illegal even if you owned it as it requires 
a fixed executable to remove the copyprotect code from the game.  
Performance is tuned for Linux, threading is based on Linux, the OpenGL 
is mainly aimed at Linux, it's not gonna be even comparable for more 
than a year even with official ports with support and a good number of 
people working on it.  The Linuxisms have worked their way throughout 
Wine through the years.  I prefer native games, like on my Mac I really 
am sick of how lazy people have gotten with Cider when they could take 
advantage of bundled technologies like Quartz and make games better on 
OS X than on Windows, but development teams do it to increase profits, 
they are and have been always into and only for Windows, and the same 
can be said for TransGaming and CodeWeavers with Linux, they simply are 
looking to increase revenue, but since they had time to put all their 
effort on one platform, it runs well... same will probably never be said 
the thinner their team spreads themselves, unless they hire some new 
blood with no bias.

I still think that trying to pitch OpenSolaris as a desktop friendly 
system is a bad idea, it's not there yet.  Developer Technologies for 
example is a bad topic since you said yourself these people have no clue 
about such things.  Developer Technologies is Sun's bread and butter, 
always has been.

It'd be better to coin zfs as the "Rollback Master Protector" instead of 
Time Machine, maybe you should call it the "Trojan of File Systems".  
The tidbit about upgrading is fine as it is, it's important, but it's 
comparable to "System Restore" on Windows...

Support, Package Management and Popular Packages is fine.

5.) Community involvement (I'll leave it to you to think of some good bait)

James