The Canterbury Project

ant · 2011-04-01 14:55:16

I'm just throwing it out: by building a few configuration GUIs that automatically edit some ArchLinux config files (e.g. using regexs and a bit of parsing) and providing a selection of packages and a script to build and configure a full-featured desktop environment ArchLinux could be made both ready-to-use and easy to hack manually just like it is now.

This is what we actually do over and over when we install ArchLinux and mold it they way we like.

E.g. if I have a GUI tool that allows me to change my DAEMONS line in /etc/rc.conf, reordering services in the correct order of execution that would be useful to both an expert and a newbie. A graphical package manager after installing a program that runs as a daemon could ask me whether I want to enable it at boot and if I say no, it could just add a disabled entry for it in the DAEMONS line, helping with enabling it later either manually or using a "runlevel configuration GUI".

The main problem with Linux is that there a tons of configuration syntaxes and languages. This provides a lot of flexibility and expression power that cannot be replicated in any GUI but some GUI tools that automate the most common tasks without messing up the config files would just save some time. I mean a GUI tool that edits config files just like one would do manually in Arch Linux, of course limited to some typical needs only. I believe that a lot of those useful little tools could be designed and maintained separately from the Arch code base and integrated in a control panel like the Windows one for easy access.

Please do not hate me like poison for saying that. ArchLinux is still the only Linux distro that I like most, all the other ones I think they are not better than FreeBSD.

Last edited by ant (2011-04-01 15:04:07)

tvale · 2011-04-01 15:05:30

cant stand. Ahahaha.

The Canterbury Distribution Package Manager

usage: cant [option] <packages>
options:
        install         install packages
        remove          remove packages
        stand           remove the Canterbury Distribution Package Manager
        help            this text

bangkok_manouel · 2011-04-01 15:11:17

stlarch wrote:

This is why I use Linux and Arch. It's never boring. Who else would do something like this?

hmm let me guess... gentoo, debian, opensuse, grml?

Bregol · 2011-04-01 16:52:03

Guess we're going to have to start porting over all our scripts
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Arch_is_the_best

On the bright side, we have a chance to have an Allan-proof distro.

ps. I like this much better than last year's. Last year's was just evil.

Andrenas · 2011-04-01 16:57:15

lol amazing!!! 1st April

djpohly · 2011-04-01 17:07:48

I've made a wrapper for cant for those who miss Xyne's tools:
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47859

Uses aria2c to download packages and includes a bonus Easter egg free of charge.

ngsupb · 2011-04-01 18:04:39

epic !!! go go my lovely Arch!

ngsupb · 2011-04-01 18:09:10

guys, you definitely need to create a separate distr all together.

Primoz · 2011-04-01 18:28:58

I for one was elated when I first read this news. Yeah it would be difficult.
Or even better I kind of misunderstood it at first thinking it's just a thing that will make distros to cooperate more with eachother and share some of the settings. And I realised that it was aprils fools when I realised it's actually a distro not a collaboration project.
But I do miss the bot, which was AFAIK used every other year before this.

Leonid.I · 2011-04-01 19:14:25

I wonder why Fedora is not in the mix...

android · 2011-04-01 19:19:14

OK, when I read this:

Openminded as openSUSE - broad and welcoming for everyone

That's when I KNEW it was a joke 8-)

jacek2v · 2011-04-01 19:43:11

First of all, scared.
Then ... today, April 1:D

BTW: Horrible Home Page.
Regards

Leonid.I · 2011-04-01 19:45:14

android wrote:

OK, when I read this:
Openminded as openSUSE - broad and welcoming for everyone
That's when I KNEW it was a joke 8-)

Maybe it's not a joke. This news combined with (from arch webpage)

Monetary donations
At the moment, we are currently not taking monetary donations, but we may accept them again in the future.

and the absence of Fedora could mean that all the arch, debian and gentoo devs now work for Novell. Good move and sorry, Red Hat.

Last edited by Leonid.I (2011-04-01 19:46:08)

admiralspark · 2011-04-01 19:51:38

I actually fell for this enough to post it on Facebook....and I was going to check Slashdot to see if it'd been reported yet. Got there, and Slash has their prank going on, remembered date, /fail
haha

Damnshock · 2011-04-01 20:03:41

I wonder how the https affected the archlinux.org server...

Anyway: great joke

rohtie · 2011-04-01 20:12:46

Finally a step forward!
Excellent!

treadlefish · 2011-04-01 20:19:22

Dunno about this. I moved over to Arch from Gentoo because I simply didn't have time to hand compile everything although I loved Gentoo's flexibilty. Tried both OpenSUSE and Debian in the past and found that they a) didn't upgrade packages in a timely fashion and b) got in my way when I wanted to try something. If I want a bloated nanny distro, I'll run Ubuntu or Fedora. I never heard of Grml.

Please don't wreck Arch in the process of creating this project.

Thor@Flanders · 2011-04-01 21:12:30

Okay, we can all agree several things here:
1) it's been a great joke, had us all (or most, me for sure) on the run, but (as said here in Flanders) "the shortest joke lasts the longest"
2) the concept of a unified distro is
- not that bad the industry that could really use a uni-Linux
- but very bad for the freedom of choice
3) it showed that a little communication (among distros) goes a long way, something I'd urge the belgian politicians to take an example of.

I for one strongly desire Arch to remain Arch. I have chosen Arch a while ago for
1) its litew8 structure
2) robustness
3) simplicity
4) educational value (you have to put some effort into it)

If Arch were to ooze into a uni-Distro I'd have to look elsewhere. But, I still give this thing an a+ for jokeness...and still hope the "elders" will come out of the shadows laughing...

Thor

Last edited by Thor@Flanders (2011-04-01 21:29:27)

samuvuo · 2011-04-01 21:17:07

Holy mackerel! Had me for a moment - till I got to the OpenSUSE bit. Thanks for a good laugh!

uh8myzen · 2011-04-01 21:57:32

Good one... I like that the other distros were in on it.

I also hate to say it, but I almost fell out a my chair... thrice!

1) Without reading yet I thought... crap did I forget to pay my ISP and I'm getting one of those "pay up or suck it dude" pages

2) Read it and thought... crap! I finally find a distro I wanna marry and now its gonna go all OpenSUSE on me...

3) Thought about it... then realized I was a sucker!

Nice goin!

Last edited by uh8myzen (2011-04-01 22:00:05)

karenslfs · 2011-04-02 00:16:55

scarey bananas. April 1 was yesterday here.

mcrae · 2011-04-02 00:44:25

I can always count on Arch to make me laugh on April Fools Day - Nice work

echo17 · 2011-04-02 02:20:47

I read this at 4 or 5 AM and was soo disappointed and somewhat angry....then I realized what day it was....then I was so disappointed and angry that I fell for it haha

binskipy2u · 2011-04-02 03:18:47

I guess it may become the "Hour of the Linux Desktop" , I've always said while CHOICE is Linux's GREATEST strength, it's even a GREATER weakness!!
5,000 distros, and 43% of them are 'buntu based .. Coming soon to DW.com.

I wish this were TRUE... maybe someone has a pipe dream of having KILLER apps instead of 20 apps doing the same thing, and KILLER distros instead of 20+ distros almost the same cept for the name and/or a few packages or tweaks that any user can google, read on a forum how to do, etc.

I guess Every dev, user, noob, zealot, born outta da womb knowing linux, on IRC, any forum, or in any chatroom that can say "RTFM", "You Aint Ready For The Big Time" , "Go back to windozzze", "Ubuntu is for you' etc etc etc et'al, ad nauseum infinitum can now have a distro ALL to themselves.

I'm 40 and I hope in my lifetime Linux hits at least 10% of the userbase on the desktop, then it'll just be the "weak of the linux desktop"

Until them, I can dream and so can you.. that's my .02 now I'm Broke!

ljshap · 2011-04-02 03:38:25

Praise ye Pacmanian's in their revolt against the evil invaders from the north,south, east and west.
Let simplicity reign !!!

PS: Who won the computer.

Rip Van Winkle

Arch Linux

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