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<TITLE>The Answer Guy 39: How to Create a New Linux Distribution: Why?</TITLE>
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<H4>"The Linux Gazette...<I>making Linux just a little more fun!</I>"</H4>
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<H1><A NAME="answer">
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<font color="#B03060">The Answer Guy</font>
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<H4>By James T. Dennis,
<a href="mailto:answerguy@ssc.com">answerguy@ssc.com</a><BR>
LinuxCare,
<A HREF="http://www.linuxcare.com/">http://www.linuxcare.com/</A>
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<!-- begin 11 -->
<H3 align="left"><img src="../../gx/dennis/qbubble.gif"
height="50" width="60" alt="(?) " border="0"
>How to Create a New Linux Distribution: Why?</H3>
<p><strong>From Cesar A. K. Grossmann on Tue, 09 Mar 1999
</strong></p>
<!-- ::
How to Create a New Linux Distribution: Why?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:: -->
<P><STRONG>
Hi James, it's me again...
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
A friend asked me how to build a new Linux CD-based distribuition,
but I have only some clues, can you help me?
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
I have identified some major tasks a future Linux distributor must
deal:
</STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG><ol>
<li>Decide how the distribuition will be and what it will have (BSD or
SYSV, complete or desktop/server versions,
<A HREF="http://www.kde.org/">KDE</A>?,
<A HREF="http://www.gnome.org/">GNOME</A>?, NONE?, etc.);
<li>Create a installer/configure script/programm according the first step;
<li>Create the boot/root/rescue disk(s) for the install;
<li>Create the CD structure and image;
<li>Make it work (make/"burn" the disks and test, repeat steps 2 to 5
until it works)!
<li>Create documentation to help installing, and make some money with
support;
<li>Endless work, endless happiness...
</ol></STRONG></P>
<P><STRONG>
Did I missed something (or: is this the "New CD Based Linux Distribution
HOWTO")? There are any documents at the Internet that can help anyone
who wants to make a new Linux CD based distribution?
</STRONG></P>
<BLOCKQUOTE><IMG SRC="../../gx/dennis/bbub.gif" ALT="(!)"
HEIGHT="28" WIDTH="50" BORDER="0"
>
There is no "HOWTO Create New Distributions" that I know of.
That is good.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
The most important step that you seem to have missed is to
ask: "Why?"
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
..
Why create a new distribution?
Why are the current crop of distributions inadequate
to your task?
..
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
This leads to other logical questions:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><BlockQuote>
What other distributions are out there? What
are their weaknesses for your purposes? Could
any of them be modified to your needs?
</BlockQuote></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Someone wanted <A HREF="http://www.redhat.com/">Red Hat</A> Linux <EM>with</EM> KDE. So we have
Mandrake. Someone wanted <A HREF="http://www.slackware.org/">Slackware</A> with support for RPMs
so we have <A HREF="http://www.suse.com/">S.u.S.E.</A> Some people didn't want to use RPMs so we
have <A HREF="http://www.debian.org/">Debian</A>. (Actually the roots and histories of these
distributions is far more colorful and involved than I'm
implying; but I'm trying to make a point).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Keep in mind that you could start with an existing
distribution and create a "installation profile" (S.u.S.E.
even allows you to store these on floppy and use them for
future installations). With Red Hat's distribution you can
create a "KickStart" script which is effectively an
installation profile (and installation automation tool).
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
With Debian you'd have to do more scripting on your
own. However it could certainly be done.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
Incidentally, you missed one of the chief differences
among distributions in your list:
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE><BlockQuote>
Pick a Package Format
</BlockQuote></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
... personally I don't like the Linux penchant for
re-inventing wheels. The <A HREF="http://www.freebsd.org/">FreeBSD</A> "ports" (<A HREF="http://www.netbsd.org/">NetBSD</A>
"packages") system is rather nice in that it's basically
a huge set of Makefiles. These get the "canonical" version
of a package and do whatever is necessary to unpack,
patch, build and install it. Naturally 'make' handles
dependencies.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
So, if you really want to make a new distribution and you
don't have an over-riding vision for "why" ---
think about creating one around this concept.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
However, I think we've got enough variations of this
wheel for now.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<!-- sig -->
<!-- end 11 -->
<!--startcut ======================================================= -->
<P> <hr> <P>
<H5 align="center"><a href="http://www.linuxgazette.com/ssc.copying.html"
>Copyright ©</a> 1999, James T. Dennis
<BR>Published in <I>The Linux Gazette</I> Issue 39 April 1999</H5>
<P> <hr> <P>
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