The following Interview was conducted by e-mail and IRC over the past few weeks. Questions by Tim Mullins, answers from Zackary Deems and Bernhard Rosenkraenzer who are two of the head developers in the Ark Linux Project.
Question 1. For the benefit of people who have not heard of the Ark Linux project, could you please tell us about your goals and mission for the software? (What are you trying to accomplish?)
Zackary Deems:
Our goals are fairly simple. We want to put Linux in contention for the #1 desktop OS. To this end, we have built our operating system around a mantra of simplicity and ease of use. We also make every effort to provide the end user with the best overall Linux experience possible. Our selection of applications is done on a 'best of breed' basis, but definitely favors KDE and Qt based applications.
So, I guess, to simplify, our mission is to build the best Linux distribution and community we can. Our goal is to always keep first in our minds why we are doing this, and what is most important - our end users and our community, and to push onward to becoming the top desktop OS.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
Our primary goal is creating a Linux distribution everyone – even people who have never used a computer before -- can use without a very steep learning curve, and without having to read lots of manuals first.
We want to provide an operating system that installs easily and "just works" without requiring too much computer knowledge -- for example, we pick only the "best of breed" apps rather than including 500 editors, 20 window managers and 50 different sound mixers (the typical non-techie user doesn't want to try them all out to see which is best - (s)he'd rather have a reasonable choice made for him/her).
Another goal is to keep the OS technically sane and maintainable --while the typical end user won't notice this, it's very important for future development – we don't want to become another Windows. And in the end, the typical end user will notice the results – faster development cycles and fewer bugs.
We're willing to break with some traditions to accomplish those goals - just because "it has always been that way" doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do. Linux was traditionally a server and techie OS -- some changes need to be made to adapt it to the new intended user base. Our default security model is one such example - we default to automatically logging in as a normal user with the additional capability to launch graphical admin tools as root (meaning, with administrator privileges). This allows ease of use without exposing the system to the risks of running everything as an administrator (like trojans and worms -- they'll have a real hard time trying to install themselves using the graphical tools).
Of course, this feature can be turned off (and even customized) for multi-user setups.
Question 2. How much longer until the development of Ark Linux comes out of it's infancy stages as Alpha software and into the more respectable Beta software category? Also can you tell us about the next version that is going to be released?
Zackary Deems:
Since the release of Alpha 10, we have been focusing most of our efforts on nailing down some of our most annoying (and sadly, most persistent) bugs. Well, that, and dealing with the growing pains of moving to KDE 3.2. We have also been working on our installer rewrite, but doing it the way we feel it SHOULD be done is taking quite a bit longer than we had anticipated, so we've decided to backtrack and update the current installer with a bit more functionality and a few 'fixes', to try and make it more viable post-alpha.
To answer your question about the next release.. I'm happy to say that Ark Linux 1.0 Alpha 11 is available effective TODAY! (assuming our mirrors are in sync).
One of the biggest 'fixes' in Alpha 11 is that sound should now be working (audibly) in a fresh install. We had been experiencing problems with it since about Alpha 8.2, but we have finally killed that particular bug. We are also handling USB storage devices and USB digital cameras much more cleanly than previously. Also, we just added support for PRISM 2 based wireless network adapters, provided by the linux-wlan package. We should have a graphical config tool to go along with that shortly (it does not tie in to the standard wireless-tools version of networking, and does not yet cleanly integrate with the ifcfg-eth# configuration model).
Bero can give more insight on exactly what the new version will bring as far as updates, fixes and changes.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
We're using the "traditional" definition of "Alpha" and "Beta" -- meaning
"Alpha" means we're not yet feature complete. It in no way indicates Ark Linux is unstable. It isn't, we're using it in production, and so are many of our users.
A good example is the fact that LINUX4MEDIA (http://www.linux4media.com/) has recently moved all its workstations (and even servers, even though that's not the primary use of Ark Linux) to Ark Linux.
We'll go to "Beta" when we have all the features we want in the 1.0 release - 3 primary points are moving to kernel 2.6.x (which is already available in our software repository, but not yet as the default kernel), adding an advanced mode to the installer (we'll always retain a simple 4-click installation -- but we'll also provide a more customizable variant for people who know what they're doing), and documentation.
Alpha 11 will be released really soon now (I'd think calling the current Dockyard ISO an alpha 11 release candidate isn't far off). Its most important new features include:
KDE 3.2.2 and Qt 3.3.1 We've updated our desktop to a customized KDE 3.2.2 -- bringing our users all the advances KDE has made lately, most importantly the Kontact groupware program and the KWallet password manager, but also many other improvements and optimizations.
Improved hardware support We've made many changes to the handling of hot pluggable hardware (such as USB and Firewire devices) -- the most important user visible change is that we can recognize many more USB hard disks and memory sticks than before. Also, we've updated to XFree86 4.4.0 to get better support for many graphics cards. We've also added preliminary 3D acceleration support for VIA CLE266 graphics chips.
Better multimedia support We've improved the multimedia integration in the OS to allow playing videos, audio files and play lists right from the browser.
The package manager has been replaced with Kynaptic, which is easier to use, integrates better with the rest of the system, and has less overhead
Many bug fixes and optimizations
Question 3. Well I can't wait to try Alpha 11, it sounds like it's going to be really good. I have been waiting for the installer to be updated. Could you tell us more about the new installer? Has the partitioning portion of the installation been improved, does it include partition resizing yet?
Zackary Deems:
Actually, the entire installer is being rewritten from scratch. We decided that the spirit and philosophy of the original installer was exactly where we wanted to be: in a word, SIMPLE. However, in some ways it was simple to a fault. It works perfectly as an 'alpha OS delivery mechanism' but not quite ideally for all audiences.
We have spent quite a number of hours over the past year discussing which options we should add, whether we should simply do everything differently, etc.. and even more time listening to the community's thoughts and feedback. In the end, we decided to keep the same basic structure, and add two new install types: System Upgrade, and Advanced Install.
A few of the line items for the changes are:
(Parallel) add NTFS resizing
(upgrade) add the ability to install to existing ext2/ext3 partitions
(upgrade) add the ability to 'upgrade' a live system via CD
(advanced) add partition management
(advanced) add simple network configuration
we *may* add support for reiserfs and/or xfs, but that's definitely not a guarantee at this point. We will not be adding support for individual package selection at this time.
The new installer is modular, so we will be able to add new functionality easily as it is developed.
And.. if you're wondering, I have been assured that you will still be able to play tetrix while Ark installs.
But that's the NEW installer. As I said before, it has turned out to be a much larger task than we had anticipated, so expect to see an 'updated' version of the old installer. We will be adding an Advanced install method that allows the person doing the install to resize their NTFS partitions and create new linux partitions using qtparted.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
First of all, we will keep a simple 4-click install with game support in the installer – we still consider it vital that anyone, even someone who has never used a computer, can install Ark Linux and easily figure out how to do basic tasks.
However, in addition to that, we'll add an expert mode, where people can customize their installation (e.g. partitioning, installation over network) – in parts due to the fact that Ark Development Suite is a very clean and complete development environment, Ark Linux has become much more than “just” an operating system for newbies – and we need to adapt to this user base (while keeping the originally intended one, of course).
Question 4. I'd like to know more about the community behind Ark Linux, How many developers and contributers are actively involved in the Ark Linux Community?
Zackary Deems:
Our community is by far one of our strongest points. Not necessarily because we have tons of developers to throw at problems.. frankly we do not. But our community is very strong, loyal and supportive. There are a number of regulars in our freenode support channel who will tell you that one of the main things that kept bringing them back to Ark was the community.
We have quite a number of contributors. Many of them provide technical support on freenode. Others help by maintaining their systems on the bleeding edge, running the test versions of our packages, helping us make sure everything works as expected. I would venture to say that at any given time of the day, there will be somewhere between four and ten people in the channel who are willing and capable of helping solve most common problems.
We have around fifteen developers, documenters and support staff on our team, all completely dedicated to making Ark the best it can be. I must say that we have some *extremely* intelligent and talented people volunteering their time to make Ark what it is, and what it will be. We truly are fortunate!
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
Our community is, at this time, small but very active and very efficient. On the development side, we have four core developers and a couple of people who regularly send patches or build a package – on the support side – in our irc channels, on the mailing lists, the wiki and on the forum – we have some very good people who find answers to almost any problems people find.
Of course, we're always looking for new contributors – including developers, graphics people, multimedia people, website developers, testers, support people, and more.
Question 5. Are there well thought out long term plans for the future of the Ark Linux project? Can you tell us about them? (What are the long term goals of Ark?)
Zackary Deems:
We do have quite a lot planned for Ark in the future. So much, in fact, that we really can't go into specifics without creating more questions that we aren't in a position to answer yet. Obviously we're pushing toward our first beta release, which should be followed rather quickly by our first production release. Today's release of Alpha 11 is a big step toward that goal.
Of course, our mission has not changed. Our long term goal for Ark Linux is to put it on as many of the world's desktops as we can. We will help show the world that Linux is not just a 'console based server OS', and that it can not only compete with Windows in the realm of multimedia, but outperform it.
It would also be nice to get the attention of the hardware manufacturers of the world, and show them that it is in everyone's best interests to provide truly open source drivers. At the moment, Microsoft can effectively strongarm companies into not supporting Linux simply by threatening to remove the certification for their drivers for windows. We want to let those manufacturers know that soon, the install base for Linux will be such that the revenue they gain from sales to Linux customers will offset the arm twisting from Microsoft.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
There are many plans – our top priority is, of course, still the same – making a Linux distribution anyone can install and use, taking the world's desktops away from Microsoft.
Even if their products were any good, Microsoft would be an inherent danger to all its users – with the planned introduction of TCPA and Longhorn, Microsoft will be able to prevent its customers from installing any software Microsoft doesn't like, for any reason. It is vital that people have an alternative to this form of dictatorship, and we're planning to provide it.
In addition to trying to make the best desktop operating system, we'll also introduce an Ark Linux Server edition – this will be a completely separate product though. We believe that it is impossible to make a product that is both a good server and a good desktop, because many of the needs are totally contradictory. While many current Linux users basically use their Linux server as a desktop, that's not what the average person can or wants to do.
The core technology (kernel, libc, compiler, class libraries...) will be the same, but the default configuration and application choice will be totally different.
In addition, we have some goals that aren't directly related to new Ark Linux developments – like convincing (and helping) hardware manufacturers to provide open source Linux drivers, or convincing game programmers to release Linux versions of their games. This is one of the last things holding Linux on the desktop back – game makers won't make Linux versions until many gamers switch over to Linux, and gamers are hesistant to switch over to Linux while some of their favorite games aren't available. This chain has to be broken.
Question 6. Finally could you please tell us about your plans for the Ark Linux web sites moving into the future? Currently Ark Linux have 3 different web sites, is that going to be consolidated?
Zackary Deems:
Actually, our group has many more domains than the three you've mentioned, but only www.arklinux.org and www.arklinux.info apply directly to the 'Ark Linux' core operating system. Our web presence still isn't quite where we WANT it to be yet, but we're working on it. At some point we hope to have a much more interactive site that will be customizable by individual users, and help present information to people in ways that make sense to them individually, rather than just inundating them with everything.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
www.arklinux.org and www.arklinux.info are separate at the moment for administrative reasons (different maintainers) – wiki.arklinux.org is separate for security reasons (if someone puts “Ark Linux sucks, go Microsoft!” all over our wiki, that's unfortunate, but if someone does that on an URL that looks official (maybe http://www.arklinux.org/wiki/support/OurRecommendation?), it's worse.
In the longer run, we are thinking about new concepts for the websites (which would probably include merging arklinux.org and arklinux.info), but there are no finalized plans for this yet.
Question 1. For the benefit of people who have not heard of the Ark Linux project, could you please tell us about your goals and mission for the software? (What are you trying to accomplish?)
Zackary Deems:
Our goals are fairly simple. We want to put Linux in contention for the #1 desktop OS. To this end, we have built our operating system around a mantra of simplicity and ease of use. We also make every effort to provide the end user with the best overall Linux experience possible. Our selection of applications is done on a 'best of breed' basis, but definitely favors KDE and Qt based applications.
So, I guess, to simplify, our mission is to build the best Linux distribution and community we can. Our goal is to always keep first in our minds why we are doing this, and what is most important - our end users and our community, and to push onward to becoming the top desktop OS.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
Our primary goal is creating a Linux distribution everyone – even people who have never used a computer before -- can use without a very steep learning curve, and without having to read lots of manuals first.
We want to provide an operating system that installs easily and "just works" without requiring too much computer knowledge -- for example, we pick only the "best of breed" apps rather than including 500 editors, 20 window managers and 50 different sound mixers (the typical non-techie user doesn't want to try them all out to see which is best - (s)he'd rather have a reasonable choice made for him/her).
Another goal is to keep the OS technically sane and maintainable --while the typical end user won't notice this, it's very important for future development – we don't want to become another Windows. And in the end, the typical end user will notice the results – faster development cycles and fewer bugs.
We're willing to break with some traditions to accomplish those goals - just because "it has always been that way" doesn't necessarily mean it's the right thing to do. Linux was traditionally a server and techie OS -- some changes need to be made to adapt it to the new intended user base. Our default security model is one such example - we default to automatically logging in as a normal user with the additional capability to launch graphical admin tools as root (meaning, with administrator privileges). This allows ease of use without exposing the system to the risks of running everything as an administrator (like trojans and worms -- they'll have a real hard time trying to install themselves using the graphical tools).
Of course, this feature can be turned off (and even customized) for multi-user setups.
Question 2. How much longer until the development of Ark Linux comes out of it's infancy stages as Alpha software and into the more respectable Beta software category? Also can you tell us about the next version that is going to be released?
Zackary Deems:
Since the release of Alpha 10, we have been focusing most of our efforts on nailing down some of our most annoying (and sadly, most persistent) bugs. Well, that, and dealing with the growing pains of moving to KDE 3.2. We have also been working on our installer rewrite, but doing it the way we feel it SHOULD be done is taking quite a bit longer than we had anticipated, so we've decided to backtrack and update the current installer with a bit more functionality and a few 'fixes', to try and make it more viable post-alpha.
To answer your question about the next release.. I'm happy to say that Ark Linux 1.0 Alpha 11 is available effective TODAY! (assuming our mirrors are in sync).
One of the biggest 'fixes' in Alpha 11 is that sound should now be working (audibly) in a fresh install. We had been experiencing problems with it since about Alpha 8.2, but we have finally killed that particular bug. We are also handling USB storage devices and USB digital cameras much more cleanly than previously. Also, we just added support for PRISM 2 based wireless network adapters, provided by the linux-wlan package. We should have a graphical config tool to go along with that shortly (it does not tie in to the standard wireless-tools version of networking, and does not yet cleanly integrate with the ifcfg-eth# configuration model).
Bero can give more insight on exactly what the new version will bring as far as updates, fixes and changes.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
We're using the "traditional" definition of "Alpha" and "Beta" -- meaning
"Alpha" means we're not yet feature complete. It in no way indicates Ark Linux is unstable. It isn't, we're using it in production, and so are many of our users.
A good example is the fact that LINUX4MEDIA (http://www.linux4media.com/) has recently moved all its workstations (and even servers, even though that's not the primary use of Ark Linux) to Ark Linux.
We'll go to "Beta" when we have all the features we want in the 1.0 release - 3 primary points are moving to kernel 2.6.x (which is already available in our software repository, but not yet as the default kernel), adding an advanced mode to the installer (we'll always retain a simple 4-click installation -- but we'll also provide a more customizable variant for people who know what they're doing), and documentation.
Alpha 11 will be released really soon now (I'd think calling the current Dockyard ISO an alpha 11 release candidate isn't far off). Its most important new features include:
KDE 3.2.2 and Qt 3.3.1 We've updated our desktop to a customized KDE 3.2.2 -- bringing our users all the advances KDE has made lately, most importantly the Kontact groupware program and the KWallet password manager, but also many other improvements and optimizations.
Improved hardware support We've made many changes to the handling of hot pluggable hardware (such as USB and Firewire devices) -- the most important user visible change is that we can recognize many more USB hard disks and memory sticks than before. Also, we've updated to XFree86 4.4.0 to get better support for many graphics cards. We've also added preliminary 3D acceleration support for VIA CLE266 graphics chips.
Better multimedia support We've improved the multimedia integration in the OS to allow playing videos, audio files and play lists right from the browser.
The package manager has been replaced with Kynaptic, which is easier to use, integrates better with the rest of the system, and has less overhead
Many bug fixes and optimizations
Question 3. Well I can't wait to try Alpha 11, it sounds like it's going to be really good. I have been waiting for the installer to be updated. Could you tell us more about the new installer? Has the partitioning portion of the installation been improved, does it include partition resizing yet?
Zackary Deems:
Actually, the entire installer is being rewritten from scratch. We decided that the spirit and philosophy of the original installer was exactly where we wanted to be: in a word, SIMPLE. However, in some ways it was simple to a fault. It works perfectly as an 'alpha OS delivery mechanism' but not quite ideally for all audiences.
We have spent quite a number of hours over the past year discussing which options we should add, whether we should simply do everything differently, etc.. and even more time listening to the community's thoughts and feedback. In the end, we decided to keep the same basic structure, and add two new install types: System Upgrade, and Advanced Install.
A few of the line items for the changes are:
(Parallel) add NTFS resizing
(upgrade) add the ability to install to existing ext2/ext3 partitions
(upgrade) add the ability to 'upgrade' a live system via CD
(advanced) add partition management
(advanced) add simple network configuration
we *may* add support for reiserfs and/or xfs, but that's definitely not a guarantee at this point. We will not be adding support for individual package selection at this time.
The new installer is modular, so we will be able to add new functionality easily as it is developed.
And.. if you're wondering, I have been assured that you will still be able to play tetrix while Ark installs.
But that's the NEW installer. As I said before, it has turned out to be a much larger task than we had anticipated, so expect to see an 'updated' version of the old installer. We will be adding an Advanced install method that allows the person doing the install to resize their NTFS partitions and create new linux partitions using qtparted.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
First of all, we will keep a simple 4-click install with game support in the installer – we still consider it vital that anyone, even someone who has never used a computer, can install Ark Linux and easily figure out how to do basic tasks.
However, in addition to that, we'll add an expert mode, where people can customize their installation (e.g. partitioning, installation over network) – in parts due to the fact that Ark Development Suite is a very clean and complete development environment, Ark Linux has become much more than “just” an operating system for newbies – and we need to adapt to this user base (while keeping the originally intended one, of course).
Question 4. I'd like to know more about the community behind Ark Linux, How many developers and contributers are actively involved in the Ark Linux Community?
Zackary Deems:
Our community is by far one of our strongest points. Not necessarily because we have tons of developers to throw at problems.. frankly we do not. But our community is very strong, loyal and supportive. There are a number of regulars in our freenode support channel who will tell you that one of the main things that kept bringing them back to Ark was the community.
We have quite a number of contributors. Many of them provide technical support on freenode. Others help by maintaining their systems on the bleeding edge, running the test versions of our packages, helping us make sure everything works as expected. I would venture to say that at any given time of the day, there will be somewhere between four and ten people in the channel who are willing and capable of helping solve most common problems.
We have around fifteen developers, documenters and support staff on our team, all completely dedicated to making Ark the best it can be. I must say that we have some *extremely* intelligent and talented people volunteering their time to make Ark what it is, and what it will be. We truly are fortunate!
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
Our community is, at this time, small but very active and very efficient. On the development side, we have four core developers and a couple of people who regularly send patches or build a package – on the support side – in our irc channels, on the mailing lists, the wiki and on the forum – we have some very good people who find answers to almost any problems people find.
Of course, we're always looking for new contributors – including developers, graphics people, multimedia people, website developers, testers, support people, and more.
Question 5. Are there well thought out long term plans for the future of the Ark Linux project? Can you tell us about them? (What are the long term goals of Ark?)
Zackary Deems:
We do have quite a lot planned for Ark in the future. So much, in fact, that we really can't go into specifics without creating more questions that we aren't in a position to answer yet. Obviously we're pushing toward our first beta release, which should be followed rather quickly by our first production release. Today's release of Alpha 11 is a big step toward that goal.
Of course, our mission has not changed. Our long term goal for Ark Linux is to put it on as many of the world's desktops as we can. We will help show the world that Linux is not just a 'console based server OS', and that it can not only compete with Windows in the realm of multimedia, but outperform it.
It would also be nice to get the attention of the hardware manufacturers of the world, and show them that it is in everyone's best interests to provide truly open source drivers. At the moment, Microsoft can effectively strongarm companies into not supporting Linux simply by threatening to remove the certification for their drivers for windows. We want to let those manufacturers know that soon, the install base for Linux will be such that the revenue they gain from sales to Linux customers will offset the arm twisting from Microsoft.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
There are many plans – our top priority is, of course, still the same – making a Linux distribution anyone can install and use, taking the world's desktops away from Microsoft.
Even if their products were any good, Microsoft would be an inherent danger to all its users – with the planned introduction of TCPA and Longhorn, Microsoft will be able to prevent its customers from installing any software Microsoft doesn't like, for any reason. It is vital that people have an alternative to this form of dictatorship, and we're planning to provide it.
In addition to trying to make the best desktop operating system, we'll also introduce an Ark Linux Server edition – this will be a completely separate product though. We believe that it is impossible to make a product that is both a good server and a good desktop, because many of the needs are totally contradictory. While many current Linux users basically use their Linux server as a desktop, that's not what the average person can or wants to do.
The core technology (kernel, libc, compiler, class libraries...) will be the same, but the default configuration and application choice will be totally different.
In addition, we have some goals that aren't directly related to new Ark Linux developments – like convincing (and helping) hardware manufacturers to provide open source Linux drivers, or convincing game programmers to release Linux versions of their games. This is one of the last things holding Linux on the desktop back – game makers won't make Linux versions until many gamers switch over to Linux, and gamers are hesistant to switch over to Linux while some of their favorite games aren't available. This chain has to be broken.
Question 6. Finally could you please tell us about your plans for the Ark Linux web sites moving into the future? Currently Ark Linux have 3 different web sites, is that going to be consolidated?
Zackary Deems:
Actually, our group has many more domains than the three you've mentioned, but only www.arklinux.org and www.arklinux.info apply directly to the 'Ark Linux' core operating system. Our web presence still isn't quite where we WANT it to be yet, but we're working on it. At some point we hope to have a much more interactive site that will be customizable by individual users, and help present information to people in ways that make sense to them individually, rather than just inundating them with everything.
Bernhard Rosenkraenzer:
www.arklinux.org and www.arklinux.info are separate at the moment for administrative reasons (different maintainers) – wiki.arklinux.org is separate for security reasons (if someone puts “Ark Linux sucks, go Microsoft!” all over our wiki, that's unfortunate, but if someone does that on an URL that looks official (maybe http://www.arklinux.org/wiki/support/OurRecommendation?), it's worse.
In the longer run, we are thinking about new concepts for the websites (which would probably include merging arklinux.org and arklinux.info), but there are no finalized plans for this yet.
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