[Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

willianholtz · 2019-09-10 14:13:37

What rules should I follow to create my arch linux-based distro? Can I use arch's official repositories for this?

I developed a help installation script for novice users, quite different from what Anarchy and Manjaro do. But after installation, the Arch model is followed (download desktop files and all). I just need to know how it works so there are no future issues if I can maintain my project.

Last edited by willianholtz (2019-09-10 14:49:25)

V1del · 2019-09-10 14:22:51

Afaik there's nothing inherently wrong with using the repos, don't violate trademarks and make it clear that your project has no actual affiliation with Arch Linux and that no user of your distribution can expect to receive support here.

willianholtz · 2019-09-10 14:49:05

Thanks v1del, the forum and support issue I already knew. The repositories that left me with a foot behind ..

Trilby · 2019-09-10 21:28:59

V1del wrote:

Afaik there's nothing inherently wrong with using the repos

There nothing illegal (that I know of, but IANAL) with using the repos. That's not really the same as saying theres nothing wrong with it.

Frankly all those "distros" that use the arch repos have always baffled me ... and frankly ticked me off. They take the product of someone else's work, slap their own name on it with little to none of their own contribution.

It's like forking an open source project, making no changes but the name, and marketting it as if you created it yourself. Sure, with many open source licenses, this would be perfectly legal. But still absurd.

In this case, your installer would be your own novel contribution. But what is it contributing to? Who is it actually helping? Not the users who use it. Not this community.

Last edited by Trilby (2019-09-10 21:30:28)

ngoonee · 2019-09-11 03:12:04

Trilby wrote:

In this case, your installer would be your own novel contribution. But what is it contributing to? Who is it actually helping? Not the users who use it. Not this community.

Definitely of no benefit to the Arch community, but possibly of benefit to the users. If a support network and community can be built up around the off-shoot distro.

Practically, that's only really happened for Manjaro as far as I can tell.

To the OP - while there's nothing wrong with using the Arch repos (from a legal sense), consider these two scenarios:-

1. Your project takes off like wildfire and gets tons of use
2. Hardly anyone uses your project

In scenario 1, at some point your project is ethically dubious for freeloading on resources provided (by donation) to another unaffiliated project (Arch Linux). Arguably hosting your own repos becomes reasonable in that case, as Ubuntu does rather than riding on Debian's repos.

In scenario 2... actually nothing much to say about this.

willianholtz · 2019-09-16 12:04:16

Trilby wrote:

V1del wrote:
Afaik there's nothing inherently wrong with using the repos
There nothing illegal (that I know of, but IANAL) with using the repos. That's not really the same as saying theres nothing wrong with it.
Frankly all those "distros" that use the arch repos have always baffled me ... and frankly ticked me off. They take the product of someone else's work, slap their own name on it with little to none of their own contribution.
It's like forking an open source project, making no changes but the name, and marketting it as if you created it yourself. Sure, with many open source licenses, this would be perfectly legal. But still absurd.
In this case, your installer would be your own novel contribution. But what is it contributing to? Who is it actually helping? Not the users who use it. Not this community.

For users here in the community certainly not, but hey, it's a gateway for those who want to use Arch, after all I just inserted an installation script. I don't want to sell or anything, I just want to show people that it's simple to be using pure Arch Lnux without the bloating of distros like "based" ones.

I did it to help Brazilians, so the script settings are all in Portuguese, but can be tested by anyone just to see how it went. If allowed and want to know more, I leave here the link of the official topic I created for her.

Another thing, is there any way to get listed on the wiki page in the distros based session? What do I need for this?

Trilby · 2019-09-16 12:10:59

willianholtz wrote:

it's a gateway for those who want to use Arch

Except that after using your script they would not be using Arch linux, they'd be using your linux.

More importantly, you'd prevent them from learning about their system.

Those who would benefit from using arch would not need your script. Those who would be burdened by using arch will be thrown into the deep end by your script and they'd have a system they didn't understand that they have no business using with no community to support them.

Don't get me wrong - I have no doubt that you mean well, but the end result will only be a burden on and disservice to everyone.

Last edited by Trilby (2019-09-16 12:11:52)

willianholtz · 2019-09-16 12:18:32

Trilby wrote:

willianholtz wrote:
it's a gateway for those who want to use Arch
Except that after using your script they would not be using Arch linux, they'd be using your linux.
More importantly, you'd prevent them from learning about their system.
Those who would benefit from using arch would not need your script. Those who would be burdened by using arch will be thrown into the deep end by your script and they'd have a system they didn't understand that they have no business using with no community to support them.
Don't get me wrong - I have no doubt that you mean well, but the end result will only be a burden on and disservice to everyone.

True, but do you prefer a user using Ubuntu or a user using Arch Linux who only used an install script? haha

Joke!

I understand the community side, as I prefer 1000 times to use distro as it is.

Allan · 2019-09-16 12:23:57

willianholtz wrote:

True, but do you prefer a user using Ubuntu or a user using Arch Linux who only used an install script? haha

I'd prefer them using Ubuntu.

Trilby · 2019-09-16 12:34:53

Me too, and more importantly, I'm pretty sure they'd prefer using Ubuntu.

Slithery · 2019-09-16 13:07:17

We'd all prefer them to use Ubuntu...
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Fr … rtisement)

Arch Linux

#1 2019-09-10 14:13:37

[Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#2 2019-09-10 14:22:51

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#3 2019-09-10 14:49:05

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#4 2019-09-10 21:28:59

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#5 2019-09-11 03:12:04

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#6 2019-09-16 12:04:16

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#7 2019-09-16 12:10:59

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#8 2019-09-16 12:18:32

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#9 2019-09-16 12:23:57

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#10 2019-09-16 12:34:53

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

#11 2019-09-16 13:07:17

Re: [Help] Rules for creating my distro [Solved]

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