[TriLUG] Switching distros based on marketing, rumor, FUD -- or based on technical merit?

[Frye, Matthew]

> 	----------
> 	From: 	Jeremy Portzer[SMTP:jeremyp at pobox.com]
> 	Reply To: 	Triangle Linux Users Group discussion list
> 	Sent: 	Wednesday, November 05, 2003 10:07 AM
> 	To: 	trilug at trilug.org
> 	Subject: 	[TriLUG] Switching distros based on marketing,
> rumor, FUD -- or based on technical merit?
> 
		Over the past few days, I've seen a lot of people mention
that they will
		be moving away from Red Hat because they don't like its "new
		direction."  While I am fully supportive of choice in the
distro wars, I
		don't quite understand the need to switch based on marketing
information
		(or rumors of such), or FUD from various sources.  Wouldn't
it be more
		appropriate to use a distribution for its technical merits
intead?

This is the ultimate decision maker for my corporate use, but I'm also
thinking about the longevity of what I've already got...and what I've got at
home.  

		For example, I've seen a certain other distro hyped as
easier for new
		users, or better for the desktop.  I tried to install it
once, and the
		network installer crashed, reproducibly, so I went back to
Red Hat. 
		This is an anecdotal case, and not meant to be a criticism
of this
		distro, but the point is it didn't live up to the hype for
me.  I chose
		not to use it because it didn't work, NOT because I thought
Red Hat was
		"serving the consumer" better.

My feeling on this was that I was ticked off at Red Hat because I felt that
ultimately, they won't be "serving the consumer" at all.  This only matters
because I user RH at home.  Within the data center and the corporate
environment, I am well aware that that concept goes out the window.  After
all, I deal with IBM here.  

		Sure, the position and comments of a company are important
to the
		general goal of Linux advocacy.  I too am dissapointed in
the Red Hat
		CEO's comments about the status of Linux on the desktop.
But these
		types of things will NOT make me stop using Red Hat /
Fedora, as I use
		them based on their technical merits.  Fedora Core 1 hasn't
even been
		released yet, and still everyone is griping that it's not
for them.  Why
		don't you TRY it first ?

That's exactly what I am going to do.  I will try Fedore Core on a test box
fairly soon, but that doesn't mean much until a stable release is available
since I am not sure what will change inside FC between now and then.
Incidentally, is there an accepted (yet) abbreviation for Fedora Core.  FC
already has meaning.  

	--Jeremy