How RULE and other Linux projects can (and should) cooperate

Run Up to date Linux Everywhere

http://www.rule-project.org/en/

© 2004 The RULE Project. All right reserved

The problem

Students, schools, charities, all NGOs:

need to run current (safe, functional) Free SW

cannot afford the new HW required by much “free” SW

no “cheap” is cheap enough with little or null budget!!!

Computers pollute a lot

hence, they should be dumped only when they physically break

The myth: to reuse an old PC, just switch to $some_other_distro

The reality

Out of date Free SW is useless or dangerous

no updates, security fixes, online support

no support for modern printers or other peripherals

no essential functionality: Html4 browsers, Gpg, Imap, OASIS support....

Thin client solutions??

“if you haven't money to replace an old PC, buy a powerful server and connect the two”

Much easier to set up and maintain, but

Not feasible on isolated desktops, only inside LANs

The distro does not matter: most real bloat happens before

Examples:

Can a non programmer user, by only changing distro:

have “small apps” not forcing him to install 30-40 megs of mostly unused libs?

get native packages of only the latest Koffice, Konqueror, Kmail?

make sure that unwanted themes or locales won't fill his drive?

have the latest stable kernel optimally tuned for low memory?

use modern printing (latest CUPS) without filling the drive with parameters of hundred drivers we'll never touch?

Possible partnerships

RULE wants to investigate how to make modern Free SW less bloated and

become a central repository where to contribute, find and exchange information about how to compile, install and configure:

Ligther X server (kdrive)

Mini Kde: Konqueror, Koffice, Kmail, Knode... nothing else

Mini Gnome ? Of course, if volunteers come

2.6 kernel

...YOU tell us!

so that everybody can then package the results for his favourite distro

Everybody is welcome to contribute!

Contacts: Marco Fioretti	marco@rule-project.org

2003-02-26T06:43:56