Debian Etch moves ever closer, and Ian Murdock - the project's founder - has been interviewed about Debian's politics, its lack of strong leadership, and Ubuntu's ever-growing fame. He feels that Debian is too enveloped in process and politics, making it impossible for anybody to make big decisions, thereby hindering the pace of development. In addition, on his weblog Murdock has announced he is joining Sun.
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Member since:2006-05-14
"The real funny thing is that Debian became too enveloped in process and politics, and grew the inability to make big decissions during Murdocks leadership."
This statement seems to be revising history at bit...I thought Ian left as the "leader guy" ten years ago? Maybe I'm missing something, I haven't followed Debian that closely.
Member since:2005-07-08
Not true. The problem with Debian is that it takes a really strong leader to drive the project, and Ian Murdock was the greatest leader the project ever had. Recent DPLs have been limp noodles. They don't rise the occasion, they don't see the big picture, and they don't motivate the development community.
I'm not sure whether it was the democratic process that was flawed or there truly was a lack of strong leaders with an interest in leading the project. Whichever it was before, it's now the latter. Debian can be rescued, but the kind of person that could make it happen is not likely to accept the challenge--or be accepted by the development community. Mark Shuttleworth put out feelers. He asked the Debian community whether they wanted a strong leader to whip the project back into shape. They told him they liked things the way they are. So he started Ubuntu.
Member since:2006-01-01
I'd like to quote what Debian developer Martin Michlmayr wrote in his blog a year ago, just before the 2006 DPL elections:
'There's a reason we have had "weak" leaders since Bruce [Perens]. While now a large number of people think that Bruce was the best thing since sliced bread, lots of people were really pissed off back then with him commanding people around. And what was the result? A constitution that would ensure that no leader would ever have such power again. And that's what we're currently stuck with.'
http://www.cyrius.com/journal/2006/03/09
http://www.debian.org/devel/constitution#5
Member since:2006-07-15
Member since:
2005-07-06
The real funny thing is that Debian became too enveloped in process and politics, and grew the inability to make big decissions during Murdocks leadership.