Some Distros Need and Deserve a Higher Profile …

… and You Can Make It Happen

I use Ubuntu. So do many other users. I don’t use it for that reason. I use it mainly because it works for me and my particular hardware best and because I like the community. I came to my decision by exclusion. I have used just about everything out there. So why would an Ubuntu user want other distros to have a higher profile?

I like choice. It is the strength of Linux. I don’t want everybody to use the same distribution. I started with Ubuntu years ago when it was a relative small player and am not about to switch because others have jumped on the bandwagon. But as other distros grow in strength, so will Ubuntu. Fedora challenges Ubuntu to do better and Ubuntu’s success drives Fedora in the same way. It is good to have a spirit of fair and friendly competition. I am sure that Canonical has noticed the success of Mint which is based on Ubuntu. This causes them to keep their mission statement fresh and to re-visit every so often.

I don’t think that Canonical resents the success of Mint in the same way that Debian users resent the success of Ubuntu. If they do, they don’t let it show. To do so, weakens you. It causes you to lose your focus and depletes your energy on something that is out of your control. Instead they focus on producing a better user experience.

I am an Ubuntu user today, but that may not always be the case. It isn’t that I am worried about Canonical or Ubuntu, but like all users I have changing needs and hardware. So, I like to keep an open mind and to be aware of what other distributions are doing. It gives me a broader appreciation of what Linux has to offer. I am an Ubuntu user, but I am first and foremost a Linux advocate.

I said that my decision to use Ubuntu was by exclusion. I started with Mandrake (now Mandriva) and moved to Fedora. I finally settled on MEPIS which I used for a couple of years before switching to Ubuntu. I have used Lindows, Linspire and have seen many distros come and go. I have tried for months at a time Xandros and SUSE. I multi-boot and frequently run several distros at once. I am always open to a better experience. I use little known distros and all of the main ones. It makes no difference to me.

At first I did not like Ubuntu, but it grew on me and it got better along the way. All distros have their weaknesses. I am too impatient to use Gentoo. Fedora is distinct, but I find it difficult to like. I find PCLinuxOS, too limiting. I find SUSE to be too unstable on my hardware. I find Debian to be too old fashioned. I like Mandriva, but it does not work well with my equipment. I find MEPIS to be closest to Ubuntu. I have tried Mint, but don’t like it.

There is something that I like about them all, too. I like that Gentoo allows me to tailor things to suit my needs. I like Fedora because it is great looking and it challenges the way I use Linux. I like PCLinuxOS because it works so well. I like the look and feel of SUSE. I like that Debian champions free software. I like Mandriva because it has great tools and is kept up to date. I like MEPIS for its simplicity and well roundedness. I like Mint because it adds functionality to Ubuntu’s solid base.

There is a distro for just about every type of user. Ubuntu has broad appeal for many reasons, but chiefly because it has the largest community. It has the most help. Even if you don’t use Ubuntu you can often find online help in their forums that will help you to solve your problem.

This brings me to my point about other distros developing a higher profile. If they want to compete and attract new users, and most do, then they will have to increase their presence. I think that too often the users of other distros get side tracked by Ubuntu’s looming presence and they think that the way to attract users is to strike back against the Borg. I get that. The problem is that it does not work. Their writing negative articles against Ubuntu only increases Ubuntu’s presence.

I also think that new users get sucked into the vortex simply because Ubuntu has such a large presence. They may not know much about other distros, but they know that Ubuntu is the biggest name in desktop Linux. Whether that is true or not is irrelevant. It only needs to be perceived that way to make it real and most newcomers hear about Ubuntu because it is the first distro that comes up when you Google anything to do with Linux.

Every distro needs to develop its own base on its own terms. Since each distro has its own niche and philosophy that is the beginning and you grow out from there. I personally would love to write articles on various distros. But I am an outsider and it just does not feel real. You need to understand the community and ethos to write the kind of things that I would like to write. This is also why most critics of Ubuntu fail to score points. They do not understand the Ubuntu community and just don’t get what Canonical is trying to achieve.

If you are a user of PCLinuxOS, then need you to write and share why and how you use it. You don’t have to be an expert. Some of the best articles that I have read have told simple truths from a newbie’s perspective. Some of the worst have been people trying to do more than they are capable of. It shows. There is a lack of realism and genuineness. Some people can write great technical articles. I can’t. I have some technical ability, but it does not feel right for me. I am an educator by training so I try to cut through jargon and to break things down simply.

Maybe you use Fedora, but don’t feel comfortable writing articles. Then you can read the blogs of others and respond to what others write, giving encouragement and helpful criticism, always remembering that you represent your community. You want to raise the profile and the interest in Fedora, so the key is to keep it positive and real. You want others to think after reading what you wrote, that Fedora is worth exploring because its advocates are interesting and positive. You want to keep your favourite distro in the news any way that you can.

I have been an outspoken critic of the Debian community in the past. I find much negativity in their forums and I don’t like their love it or leave it attitude. If you use Debian, then perhaps there is a place for you to be a positive force and to polish their image. It is simple things such as putting yourself in the place of the other person. It takes courage to ask for help. Dealing with newbies takes patience and understanding. If you want them to adopt your philosophy then you need to educate, not lecture. Debian has much potential. It can be a real bright spot for the GNU/Linux world.

Mandriva has an inferiority complex. It wants to run with the big boys, but has not quite made the transition from a commercial distribution in the way that Novell has with SUSE. It lacks the server and enterprise base and has found making money from desktop Linux to be a challenge. They feel that they have a great product, and they do, but that it does not get the recognition that it deserves. It doesn’t. The solution is to develop community the way that Canonical has.

This was Canonical’s starting point and that is why it has exploded. Mandriva in contrast is doing it after the fact. Desktop Linux has no retail presence. It spreads by word of mouth. Once you have a large user base then you have more options. You can then explore your commercial side because you can point to your success.

MEPIS and Mint are smaller distributions. Both have opportunities to grow by exploiting apparent weaknesses in their parent distribution. For MEPIS this means Debian and for Mint it means Ubuntu. By offering more functionality and by adding restricted drivers and codecs, they are making it easier for newbies to adopt Linux. This is something that Debian and Ubuntu could do, but have chosen not to, for philosophical reasons. There are many other distributions who have a similar approach and have developed a solid following. What these distributions need is for satisfied users to speak up. Mention your success and praise your distribution. Keep it positive and your distribution will grow.

Critics of Ubuntu, accuse it of raiding the user base of other distributions. This has never been their intention. I think that these distributions have let their users drift away by neglecting their own responsibilities. It is easier to blame Ubuntu than to accept that you are making yourself irrelevant. What Ubuntu has succeeded in doing is to make the whole pie larger. Many of their new users are Linux converts. The Linux pie is growing modestly and Ubuntu is getting more than its share due to its online presence and support.

The challenge for other distros is to attract new users to your distribution. If you focus on Ubuntu and taking away from them then you face a more difficult challenge as momentum is with them. They have an established base and it is growing exponentially. As more is written about Ubuntu and its kin whether it is for or against them, then it gives them an even bigger presence.

I hope that other distributions learn from what Canonical has done. They need to develop the community first and to pay attention to the needs of users. You can be true to your principles and attract new users. In fact, I would think that a distribution such as Debian has more to gain than to lose. People want to hear about free software. It is the notion of freedom that draws people in. They won’t necessarily buy into the whole package right away, but they will be attracted to you. You can be your own worst enemy by prostheletizing. You need to integrate and educate instead.

I am convinced that there is enough room for growth that we don’t need to raid each other’s base and engage in FUD against our own kind. I think that the place to start is with improving the image of the distribution that you use by ceaselessly promoting it in whatever way that you can. This can only benefit Linux at large and make us all stronger in the end.