The Tux Team just published a look at the JAMD 0.0.6 distribution. “We continue our look at rpm-based distributions with JAMD 0.0.6, the latest release from Jim Lucha. It is his third release in less than one year. Each release has focused on the personal desktop experience for users who wish to use Linux but who are not interested in the details of learning Linux; such as compiling software, editing configuration files, and customizing the environment. In other words, this distribution is directed toward your neighbor.” Full article at TuxReports.
JAMD: Your Neighbor’s Distribution
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
…its not anymore like “Is Linux ready for the desktop?” or is “Linux ready for you?”, but “Is Linux ready for your Neighbor?” Honestly, who cares? In my oppinion Linux was ready for home use a long while ago, and I use Linux full time, and NOT as a Windows replacement, because I din’t grow up with Windows, but as my main OS! That doesn’t mean that I agree that a Linux distribution is good for other people. Its not only about Windows and Linux, there is BeOS, the BSDs, MacOS X, QNX, and other OSes that might be good for other people. I think people should try also FreeBSD for instance. This was not such a bad article, but there where a couple of begginer articles here a while ago about “How Linux is NOT Windows” and those people who wrote them where wery shocked that Linux is not Windows. Those people should have tryed also something else, and then comment about how another OS is not Windows. I think, this is about it.
Just my 2 cents.
I installed Jamd 0.0.6 and was happy with the install. But as it is not aimed at users who “tinker” it will lack some tools like modutils and make so you cant install nvidia drivers right off the bat.
Otherwise, it is a good distro. Soundcard drivers for ac97 alc650 worked right after install. This was good.
Sourcecode is not easily accessible and I found that if get the Redhat source, much of the compiling tools needed will be there.
The way one gets the rpms is easy and polished. But, I corrupted parts of some apps using it.
If you don’t tinker or play games like quake iii, this distro would be cool.
If they ever anticipate getting any legitimate attention or press, they have got to get rid of their URL:
boycottmicrosoft.net? I mean, come on.
I think that http://www.boycottmicrosoft.net, those people are providing them with free web space. Not sure though. I know for a fact that there is a lot of stuff happening with JAMD, but won’t tell as I don’t know if I can.
What’s wrong with the URL?
Microsoft has approximately 95% market penetration for desktop operating systems. So a move to another OS is in effect recognizing an abusive monopoly for what it is — and boycotting it.
Since the USGOVT decided to cut a secret deal with Microsoft and leave the consumer out to dry, what other option is there other than to vote with the checkbook and stop buying Microsoft?
“We continue our look at rpm-based distributions with JAMD 0.0.6”
i think rpm’s are the bain of linux. imho, i think they are crap. after using ports and portage, i will never go back to a rpm based distro. i found 9 times out of 10, compiling source worked over trying to install rpms. urpmi looked promising, but doesn’t hold a candle to ’emerge world’
-akira
Yeah, dependency hell sucks. Apt-rpm is the only thing that allows me to stand RPM based distros. Synaptic and apt-rpm make a great combination.
I love the idea, but with portage you now get problems with broken ebuilds an hour or two after you start installing. Honestly, the massive build times and extra dependencies are what drove me away from Gentoo. I’d hate to have anything less than my dual Xeon and try to run Gentoo.
No matter how many times you mask Gnome or KDE, you WILL eventually have to build them both. Many times for no real reason other than the lack of attention from the guy who made the ebuild.
I like ports too, but unfortunately, there just aren’t enough of them and I’m not a huge fan of BSD’s. The hardware support just isn’t there. The world options in ports are a Godsend. Compile everything only IF you want to.
There is a very real need for a good pre-compiled package system. So far, I lean toward apt. It can handle both source and binary releases just fine.
Unfortunately it gets complicated when you need one app from unstable or you have to seek out a source for your oddball app that isn’t in the Debian mirrors.
If there was a central location you could register apt sources with and update your sources.list from there daily, apt would win hands down in the Linux package department.
I can’t stand anymore all those people who want to try Linux ‘cos the find Windows unstable but don’t want to use command line.
If you want to use Linux you to try, at least once in your life, building your own kernel or ./configure; make; make install (it works really better than rpm!!!), or edit with vi a .conf file.
I can’t believe these people who don’t want to learn (or man) few simple commands find win2k/xp unstable!!!
What’s wrong with the URL?
For one, on the advertising side. People don’t mind companies taking cheap pots at their competitors, like with Apple’s Switch ads, but people are usually vary about companies who publicly in every instance demonizes their competitors. Plus the fact that they don’t own the .com of that domain reduces its advertising strenght.
Then the legal issue. This side for certainly cannot be considered a parody site taking in account for its content. For that reason, Microsoft can sue for trademark violations if the site gets famous – and they would probably do that seeing that they also took the domain names from other famous pro-Windows websites.
In other words, JAMD being there have no benefits whatsoever. It makes better sense to use free services like SourceForge and Savannah instead.
Microsoft has approximately 95% market penetration blah blah blah
Again, talking about adveritisng, people may care about Microsoft monopoly status, but not certainly go for a product whose main marketing line is to ridicule its competitor. Tell me, was boycottmicrosoft.com ever successful in getting people to move away from Microsoft?
Unlikely.
Since the USGOVT decided to cut a secret deal with Microsoft and leave the consumer out to dry, what other option is there other than to vote with the checkbook and stop buying Microsoft?
Oh yes, I’m quite sure of that… NOT! It is very much illegal to cut an secret deal to circumvent any US law with an American corporation. The only case where secret deals can be made is with non-corporations (nations, political movements, terrorist groups, etc). So far I see not one iota of proof that Microsoft has a secret deal with the US government, besides the fact that the executive, legislasive and juridical powers in America are largely seperate.
to krusty.
On ONE single occasion have I successfully managed to to compile and install something. Typically I run into some error that (to me) is totally meaningless, or I don’t have the just the right version of library, or haven’t got the right version of gcc.
If you’re not a programmer, ./configure, make install, install is ONLY simple if it works. If it doesn’t work there is no way to know what is wrong and you stand virtually no chance of making it work.
Judging by the amount of source code only software that’s available it’s clealry not much of an issue to “techies”.
It would still be easier (and maybe better) for the Linux community to come up with a decent, flexbile installation system, similar to ones in windows (and probably mac – although i’ve not used a mac in years so not sure how they install software) Windows has numerous installers, that all work and are pretty flexible.
also whilst I think about it.
the mighty BEos handled binaries effortlessly.
It just seems to be a problem with Linux and *BSDs
The CLI is a relict of the computing stoneage. I’ve used it back in the 1980s running DR/MS DOS. But even at that time the first thing I did was typing ‘nc’ (Norton Commander) because a GUI (even a textmode one) is so much nicer to work with.
The real problems of Linux have nothing todo with CLI or GUI anyway. No standards that’s the problem. It is a joke that there is no stable API for writing GUI applications for example. On Linux every app is like a VB app on Windows only 100x worse. I always cursed the people who distributed these VB ‘half-apps’. I remember searching the web / magazine CDs for these stupid vbrunXXX.dlls. Something like this just sucks from a users point of view. A nice app just DOESN’T HAVE DEPENDENCIES. Of course on Windows and even MacOS you can write dependency free apps because there are stable standard APIs like Win32, or Cocoa for writing non-trivial applicatons. There is no such thing on Linux. That’s the whole problem, the reason for the dependency hell. Dependencies are always hell, you can invent some hacks trying to work around them (like apt) but the only real solution is eliminating them.
BTW, the only people who complain about WinXP being unstable are Linux trolls. Most people who use Windows full-time (read: not Linux at home, Windows at work because they are forced too – like most Linux trolls) will tell you that WinXP is rock stable. 10x more stable than both KDE or GNOME running on Linux IMO.
There is something wrong about hypeing Linux as the “Windows alternative”. Linux is the most ugly mess of an ‘OS’ (To be correct Linux is just a kernel and distro makers add a bunch of random crap on top of it) outthere IMO. And if the fundamental design doesn’t change radically eliminating things like dependencies, the need to patch / recompile the kernel etc it will never be an alternative for the home-user desktop (it is an alternative for the adim-controlled cooperate/government desktop)
From rajan:
It is very much illegal to cut an secret deal to circumvent any US law with an American corporation. The only case where secret deals can be made is with non-corporations (nations, political movements, terrorist groups, etc).
Well, I guess you make the argument that Microsoft is a terrorist group.
Now, if we could only convince Bush-boy and his cronies that they have weapons of mass destruction, we could get MS wipped off this miserable rock… 
From netean:
It would still be easier (and maybe better) for the Linux community to come up with a decent, flexbile installation system, similar to ones in windows (and probably mac – although i’ve not used a mac in years so not sure how they install software) Windows has numerous installers, that all work and are pretty flexible.
I would disagree here. Let me explain it this way:
Option 1:
-Download *.exe from a website (or, find setup.exe on a CD…).
-Open File Manager, and navigate to where you downloaded the executable to. Did you remeber where you put it? Double-click on it.
-Read some introductory screen. Press Next.
-Agree to some licence. Press Next.
-Select install type. Basic, Complete, Advanced, Traditional, etc, etc, etc. Press Next.
-Depending on who wrote the installer, you may need to select an install location. Press Next
-Do you want a Desktop Icon? A Quick Launch icon? A new Program Group? What do you want that program group named? Do you not want to create a new program group? Okay, where do you want it? Press Next.
-Press Next to actually begin the install.
-A progress bar…
-Press Finish to finish the install.
Option 2:
-open command-line interface
-type ‘someinstaller somecoolapp’. Don’t forget to press enter.
-someinstaller either asks for a CD, or goes out on the net and downloads the proper packages for you. Your app is now installed.
Now, which one is easier? If I asked my grandmother, who has never used a computer, she would tell me the path with 3 steps is eaiser that the path with 8 steps. My point? It all depends on what you’re used to.
Personally, I think the Windows method of installing software is much more ‘demanding’ on the user that the Linux method. But I’m not saying it perfect. It needs improvment. A really nice, cross-distro install method would be wonderful. A method of resolving package dependency problems in a human readable sence would be a god-send. But please don’t suggest that Linux should follow the Windows method of installs. Its a mess, too. Windows-trolls are just used to it. If you gave Linux a fair chance ( and a fair chance does not mean ‘installing it, and crying about why you have to edit a config file, or find a package to install another package, etc, etc, etc), maybe you’d see that some aspects of Linux are superior to other OSs (note: I did not say that Linux is the end-all-be-all of OSs. Only that some of its methods and procedures are better) in those same areas.
Well, I guess I’ve bored enough now…
Good day.
There is a problem with most Linux/Windows installers.
1. Windows’s installers are well know for leaving crap
in the reg. And leaving files everyware.
2. Linux installers are often criptic. RPM’s dep problems
are annoying. DEB is the same a RPM, the only differance is
that DEB will take alook at the net for a packege not found on the system.
3. Ever installed moziller, open/staroffice in Linux.
It’s feels the same as clicking on an exe in windows.
This is how more installs sould be done. (see point one for
windows installers)
Note
I use Windows Me and Suse 8.2 (with Wine) There are both good OS’s (Ok I suffer from BSOD with windows). Redhat, Suse, gentoo, debian, JAMD, Mndrake, Lindows, Vector, Knoppix, Yoper, Slackware, Sorcerer, Peanut, Turbolinux and not to miss out -<insert your distro(s)here>- should get together and make a Common linux packege system
Just my 2 pence
A linux focusing on personal desktop OMG it must be stopped. Lol I hope the distro make it & hey everything isn’t working right, because it is release 0.0.6. Just give it time to mature.
Just give it time to mature.
I am sure you meant: “Just give me time to mature.”
I don’t like distributions that are based around Red Hat Linux. At least when they depend on Red Hat so much as JAMD does. Mandrake has some things from Red Hat Linux, but with every release those things are less present there. They could have easily based it on Debian or Slackware, and still use rpm. The package management system is one thing, and the distribution itself is another.
marcm wrote: “They could have easily based it on Debian or Slackware, and still use rpm. The package management system is one thing, and the distribution itself is another.”
I agree that the really used REDHAT as a standard and that is somewhat difficult to make things work because certain pieces are not the latest or some are newer and you have pilfer parts of Redhat to make certain things work that are not out of the box.
But if you look at who the JAMD contributors are, Redhat depends on stuff they make. These guys appear to be giving back to LINUX users quite a bit. (If you are curious, go to their website and read about them)
Anyway…
I interested in any other opinions out there using this distro. Good? Bad? Indifferent? Anyone get any retail games working on it?
It even doesn’t come with a compiler. No, thank you, I won’t try it, not to mention develop something for it.
Why should a compiler be mandetory? The only people who should need compilers are programmers. Unfortunately Linux has a UN*X heritage where you often need to compile the kernel to install/remove devices. Surely the perfect Linux distro for you guys out there is just the kernel, a CLI shell and a compiler – that way you just write the software you need 🙂 Meanwhile the rest of the world gets some real work done.
Well, I guess you make the argument that Microsoft is a terrorist group.
Now, if we could only convince Bush-boy and his cronies that they have weapons of mass destruction, we could get MS wipped off this miserable rock… 
Missing the point entirely. The point is that there was a deal between Microsoft and the government of the US – a claim that is lacking completely of proof – SEC and FTC, two completely seperate bodies not under executive power, this stupid claim is rather unbelievable.
Rajan,
It was a joke. Put your emotion chip back in, and maybe you’ll be able to detect sarcasim…
I always liked the 2-disk XWindow system:
http://www.thepub.nildram.co.uk/mirrors/2diskxwin/2diskXwin.htm
but it seems to have disappeared to :
http://freshmeat.net/projects/natld/
its home page :
http://www.angelfire.com/linux/floorzat/2diskXwin.htm
Seems to have no information other than bad mouthed sarcasm.
When I email them for help and information they reply with poorly written and irrelevant prose that makes no sense?.
The source code distribution :
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/linux/X11/xutils/1diskx-1.0.8.src.tar.bz…
seems to compile and run a base system strait away, but there is no source code for the applications binary (that includes ssh, rdesktop, vnc, mwm, mfm, rxvt, mungbrowse, games, panel app, etc…).
I agree that RPM is often a pain and APT is rather limited. So I would like to poing out a very new and promising system that could provide an optimal solution to the problem of installing and maintaining software on Linux: see http://zero-install.sourceforge.net/