[Helgi Örn]
For me as a musician SuSE it is neither 'complete' nor 'SUPERB' when such vital parts as MIDI, and all of the software who uses it, just doesn't work! And that is a dilemma for me because I just don't want to use Windows.
Hello, Helgi. I quite understand it is frustrating, and share this frustration as well for those parts of sound support which do not work for me, as I would like them to work. However, I do not live the frustration as intensely as you do. I presume that your expectations, or needs, are much higher than mine. For one, I would never expect SuSE (nor any other Linux packager, by the way) to fully support itself the 3000 packages SuSE distributes. We hardly imagine all the man-power this would really require. Almost everything is maintained by a big army of volunteers, each acting per his/her own selected methods and standards. What has been accomplished in such conditions is still astonishingly impressive. Even if there are indeed things which do not work, I'm nevertheless highly satisfied. Despite we have not reached perfection yet, I (like many others) consider Linux as a superbly dependable. Each release brings me new things, and I feel that things get more and more solid as time goes, that this is going in the proper direction overall. But I do not expect Linux (or SuSE) to be everything right now[*]. I'm trying to be reasonable, especially since I'm not alone in the adventure of life (I mean, I cannot always impose my views or values to whole teams.) If we have a pressing need in some particular area to be filled right now, which Linux does not, my first move will be to collaborate at creating a Linux solution. It happens that time does not permit waiting for it. We might then give in using Windows and commercial software, even if I do it reluctantly and with much dislike. Linux will get ready in some future, and I'll happily drop the commercial software when the time will be right. My interests in life have enough diversity that I can usually manage. If Linux is not ready for something right now, I just move on other things without any real feel that I lost my time. I revisit the matter again a few years later. This attitude has been rather fruitful for me, so far. -------------------- [*] And Microsoft will probably never by everything to me, ever. -- François Pinard http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~pinard -- To unsubscribe send e-mail to suse-linux-e-unsubscribe@suse.com For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the FAQ at http://www.suse.com/support/faq