MEPIS founder plots transition to Ubuntu

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Mar. 21, 2006

MEPIS LLC, a long-time Debian Linux distributor, is switching from Debian to Ubuntu as the basis for its SimplyMEPIS Linux distribution. It seems MEPIS founder Warren Woodford has decided that MEPIS will do better for its users by depending upon Ubuntu, rather than Debian, for its foundation.

Ubuntu has a six month stable release cycle that will enable MEPIS to offer its customers a dependable release schedule, Woodford explained. "The switch to the Ubuntu pools was made to provide our users with a more stable underlying system. Of course it's important for our users that MEPIS remains true to its unique vision. I believe this release demonstrates that we can combine the magic of the MEPIS user experience with the goodness of the Ubuntu Foundation."

In the past, MEPIS was one of the leading lights of the DCC Alliance, a group of non-profit and business organizations that had been working on producing a Debian-based core Linux distribution that would also be LSB (Linux Standard Base) 3 compliant. However, MEPIS has now parted from the DCC Alliance.

"MEPIS is no longer involved with the DCC due to 'creative differences.' We wish Progeny, Xandros, and Linspire the best of luck in their mutual endeavors," said Woodford.

The DCC Alliance had been criticized within the Debian community for its use of the Debian name, and for doing work that might have been done within the community. Outside the Debian world, critics wondered if there would be any steak behind its sizzle as the DCC project seemed to move very slowly.

Test release

MEPIS's first step with Ubuntu is a test release of SimplyMEPIS 6.0, incorporating software from the Ubuntu Dapper package pools.

Woodford has found porting SimplyMEPIS to be fairly simple. "At the time we built SimplyMEPIS 3.4.3, the Debian Etch package base was very similar to the final Ubuntu packages in Breezy. So I suppose the port was not much different than upgrading Ubuntu from Breezy to Dapper."

"Of course, there are implementation and artistic differences," he continued. "We'll incorporate the Ubuntu differences into MEPIS when it fits our model and vision, likewise we'll offer our ideas and changes back to Ubuntu."

Woodford added, "This release is a sneak peek, if you will. There are integration issues and new features that have not yet been addressed for SimplyMEPIS 6.0 and the Dapper pools are still being improved. However, we want to make it available to our subscribers now, so we can get their feedback before proceeding any further." This experimental release is available for download in the 'snapshot' directory at the MEPIS Subscribers ftp site. Feedback should be sent to dev@mepis.com.

Improved sharing of code

Woodford believes this release will improve the flow of code between MEPIS and Debian. He said: "Ubuntu and Debian are closely related. Periodically Ubuntu grabs a snapshot of Debian unstable, makes improvements and bug fixes, and then contributes those bug fixes and improvements back to the Debian source code tree. If we work with Ubuntu and Canonical to help improve Ubuntu as a foundation for MEPIS Linux products, then ultimately Debian should also benefit."

Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical Ltd. and father of the Ubuntu distribution, said in a statement that "Collaboration with MEPIS will help Ubuntu offer even higher quality desktop packages for KDE users, and expands the number of people who can benefit from our work on system integration, desktop polish, and Linux kernel reliability. The MEPIS community is vibrant and energetic and it will be exciting to be able to work more closely with them, while still respecting the ways in which Ubuntu and MEPIS are distinct."

-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols

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Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2009 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.