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A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

kisslinux.org

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Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#31

Post by rossvor »

LambdaComplex wrote: post #27
donw wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So a bus factor of zero would mean that the project is in jeopardy even if all the maintainers are alive. So, PHP, then.

I suppose the downvotes may be justified due to your comment being pretty out-of-place, but, just to add some perspective: I'd like to remind everyone that PHP originally used strlen() as a hashing function: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/70691 It is (or at least originally was) certainly not the pinnacle of good design.

I don't think it's fair to use this fact as a data point -- since that same message you've linked says "This was circa late 1994 when PHP was a tool just for my own personal use". PHP was released to the public 1995.

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#32

Post by adrian_b »

ximm wrote: post #25

What I found interesting is that it doesn't use initramfs. Can someone elaborate on that? Is that something other distros should adopt?

initramfs is very useful if you make a bootable external SSD or USB memory stick, which is intended to be able to boot on any random computer.

After you install Linux on a known computer, maybe using a customized kernel that already includes any required modules for the root device and file system, there is absolutely no need for initramfs, which just slows the boot without any benefit.

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#33

Post by rnestler »

ximm wrote: post #25

What I found interesting is that it doesn't use initramfs. Can someone elaborate on that? Is that something other distros should adopt?

They have an entry in the FAQ about initramfs: https://kisslinux.org/faq#5.2

> KISS technically supports booting via an initramfs, it just doesn't require or provide one. As a user you have the means to set this up yourself for your system.

> Full disk encryption is also possible without the use of an initramfs in modern kernels (see dm-mod.create).

> The initramfs concept is an ugly, complicated and largely optional mess. Thank god it isn't a requirement.

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#34

Post by icebarf »

cton wrote: post #20
makach wrote: post #9

I wish they didn’t just take the well established name of a principle and re use it in their distro-name. As much as I appreciate this initiative I think they should consider the importance of naming and branding. An original product should have an original name.

If I could, I would kiss Linux. I like the name.

Why would you kiss a kernel

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#35

Post by beermonster »

randomluck040 wrote: post #29
beermonster wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slackware is a complete OS complete with curated set of user land and desktop applications. Although I have a soft spot for Slackware, I’d say arch fills this niche more than Slack: You get the most minimal system as a starting point and build what complexity you need on top - and no more.

I didn’t look into Kisslinux but the rather obvious problem with Arch is that the installation process scares people away (regardless whether it is hard or not). The terminal/command line is a scary place for people who didn’t use it before. Otherwise I tend to agree that Arch can be absolutely minimal if you want to. Didn’t use Slackware so I can’t comment on that.

> but the rather obvious problem with Arch is that the installation process scares people away

Nowadays it has an installer [Disclaimer: never used it]

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#37

Post by pritambaral »

kissgyorgy wrote: post #28

The packageformat is entirely static. A series of plain-text files with fields separated by lines and spaces. Easily parseable via any programming language or with basic UNIX utilities. And you have to write parsers for it which is PITA even if it's very simple. Please just stick to well-known formats (even if you don't like them) and make your fellow developers life easier! For example, everyone hates YAML for one r…

1. There is not a single YAML format. Different parsers support varying formats and specs.

2. YAML is a terrible format for everyone. Even if you don't hate it, you can still fall prey to its poor design and not even know about it until it blows up later. A package manager is especially not somewhere you want such latent bugs.

3. Not everybody knows its terrible quirks. I'd used YAML for years, and was still surprised when I read strictyaml.org's (limited) list of documented bugs in YAML.

4. YAML isn't even the first or most-popular well-known format. So, if you're going to advocate for a well-known format that everybody can use, it makes little sense to advocate for YAML.

Re: A Linux distro with a focus on simplicity and the concept of less is more

#40

Post by scbrg »

admax88q wrote: post #8
fouc wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"less is more" doesn't imply trivial/easy, instead it implies that tradeoffs were carefully considered and made.

"Simplicity" does imple trivial or easy though, at least to an extent.

Well, blame English. It sucks (and so do all other natural languages).

In software, I'd say that "simple" has come to mean "lack of complexity" rather than "easy". Presumably, the distribution's target audience is software enthusiasts of some sort.

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