Comment 48 for bug 578045

Revision history for this message
Mandrit Hoffmann (mandrithoff) wrote :

I'm also confident that Ubuntu and MPT are aware of the seriousness of this problem ("UDS N Monday plenary: Getting great applications on Ubuntu" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT5fUcMUfYg ).

While the lack of separation between system and application parts was noticed as problem several times and years before:
Benjamin Smedberg (Mozilla) "Is Ubuntu an Operating System?" http://benjamin.smedbergs.us/blog/2006-10-04/is-ubuntu-an-operating-system/
Tony Mobily (Free Software Magazine) "2009: software installation in GNU/Linux is still broken -- and a path to fixing it" http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/2009_software_installation_linux_broken_and_path_fixing_it
Ingo Molnár (RedHat) "Technology: What ails the Linux desktop? " https://plus.google.com/109922199462633401279/posts/HgdeFDfRzNe
, it can be still fixed. :)

And I would argue that Ubuntu is among all the linux distributions the only one capable, user-focussed and undogmatic enough for doing so. Ubuntu has proved that they are not too afraid to take serious (and sometimes painful) steps to fix long standing architectural problems in the linux world. While shifting long existing mechanisms and habits might be the hardest part, at least several technologies and implementations are already available, just pick one or more (Zeroinstall, Gobolinux, portable linux apps, autopackage, FatELF, nix package manager and many more).

So, please Ubuntu, fix this problem by a consequent step towards a "platform and independent software provider" architecture, I count on you! :)