359 Linux flavors: Diversity or confusion?
The emergence of Linux on the desktop has spurred some interesting viewpoints about its current state and future. One, as expressed by Alexander Wolfe at InformationWeek, is a prime example of some of the fact-based misinterpretation surrounding the topic. So for the record, I found Mr. Wolfe's piece to be rather informative and well constructed, but felt that it neglected to mention the varied dynamics behind the apparent schisms within the diverse Linux development community. By failing to do so, the article came off slightly shallow and banal, doing more to comfort pre-conceived notions about Linux than actually inform and encourage original thought patterns.
There is nothing factually wrong with Mr. Wolfe's journalistic approach, only it lacks the appropriate perspective of the current state of Linux as determined by the evolutionary process that is the open source software movement. Is 359 a large number? Yes. Yet considering the ease of creating a new distro, this number must be balanced with a comprehensive view of things before qualifying it as an open source mess. The article makes mention of this fact, but fails to allow it to serve as a moderating reality. How and why should the fact that any given distribution is free to fall or rise in popularity, stop development/community activity or merge into another entity, etc. and have it count against open source as a whole?
Let's assume for a moment that the Linux kernel were a commercially licensed entity. Would the fact that a significantly smaller number of resulting Linux-based distributions would then be available, indicate success of some sort? Not necessarily. Likewise, the existence of 359+ distros doesn't qualify as an undeniable win-win. The figure should actually be viewed as a manifestation of the nature of the open source development model than anything else. Additionally, the argument that 359 is too much, is a purely subjective one that does little to portray any strength or weakness of consequence. Still opinion is opinion and it should stand as such, yet I wonder how many mistake Mr. Wolfe's for fact given his platform and reach...
Windows have the same problems. Don't forget there's Windows CE, the different SKU's of XP.
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