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Interview with João Batista Esteves - Dreamlinux

Dreamlinux is by my opinion the best Linux distro at the moment. We bring you interview with João Batista Esteves (Drjesteves) - Dreamlinux Project Leader.

18.12.2006 10:00 | František Hucek | Články autora | přečteno 27968×

Name: João Batista Esteves
Age: 60 years old
Education: Lawyer
Job: Lawyer and University Administer
Status (single/married): Married

FH: I tried many Linux distributions and always there was something missing or not working. In your Dreamlinux MULTIMEDIA 2,2 RC1, even if Release Candidate, there is so far everything working, multimedia, film DVD's, czech language, to make OpenGL working is simple, it is fast and realible and it looks so nice.. :)

JBE: We are very happy and thankful for the comments about our distro and its working. We always, and even more work focalized to make it easy to use, not complicated, fast, safe with a great graphic presentation. After all, we want our users to have a trusting distribuition and with a great design that deserves to be installed on work or home computers.

FH: Can you please tell me more about the history of this distribution? Who's idea it was, how many people are working on this distro? Is any company behind Dreamlinux, or just linux enthusiasts? Is there any business model about Dreamlinux, ie. are you making any money out of it?

JBE: Here, allows us to be a little bit longer.
Dreamlinux was born from a union of people and objectives, reunited on a very small team of developers, composed only by Nelsongs, Andrefelipe, Katatau and Drjesteves. Even one of us, individually, frequents the Kurumin pages fórum, an excellent brasilian distro, where we where discussing a way to remasterize that distro directly of its installation made on HD. Nelsongs, so, developed and posted a guideline apropriated to this finality and we formed a team that we give the name named, just kidding, of Crazy Remasters. So we, te team, started to work on that guideline transforming it in a remastering script that on its final phase it could remaster not only Kurumin but Knoppix, Kanotix, Beatriz and others distros derivated of that OS too. Superated that stage we resolved to make a new challenge, this time based on Morphix, for lots of oportunities that system presented. So we left for develop and improve another magnificant tool, created by our genious friend Nelsongs, named Mkdistro, that grouped and made better the various concepts and funcionalities of the unumbered Morphix tools, what viewed allow us an easy processo distro geration, what could attend user, already incorporating, even since, unumbered quality objectives, vigor and facilities, and reunited on what we call Dreamlinux Project.
So, our distro Dreamlinux has been developed as a demonstration of what could be done by a normal user through Mkdistro, which allows a geration of an especific distro to his necessities, conveniences and wishes, all in am easy way, not complicated and fast. All for him, the own user, to build his dream distro.
After we got a consistant base-distro, and thanks to the competent work of andrefelipe, our talented designer, was created an exclusive package of wallpapers, themes and icons of our graphic environment, creating the great visual show existant today, beyond the various adjustments and structural refinements made for Dreamlinux could present, now, the most appropriated working.

FH: The Mac OS look and feel of Xfce is just great, who made it? Is it possible to use in any other distro as yours?

JBE: We believe our graphic package, that have a beautiful and nice visual and was developed only for Dreamlinux could be used in other distros too, with some little changes and with the proper credits. The same package is available for free download in our repository.

FH: Do you think there is any working business model for Linux desktops? I mean when you can download distro for free and find all support on the internet? Is there any way how to make money out of Linux desktop?

JBE: The Dreamlinux Project is always in constant evolution. we don't have yet any patronage and we didn't even set the ways to the project translate itself, imediately, in financial recourses, pretty much necessary and that would be very importante to auxiliate us on spends with the Porject development, tools and distro. So, Dreamlinux is available free on internet mirrors, but we have, even, the material to in future, it can be sold on packed CDs. For the dimension the distro is getting, and for we can go deep and improve its development process, it's a providence we want to take as soon as possible, without meaning we don't available the image for free downloads. Other helps, with donations, are welcome too.

FH: One of Dreamlinux versions were with XGL feature, do you think this technology has any use in current state of development?

JBE: About the XGL use, we have already created and distributed, in experimental character, a Dreamlinux-XGL version, that had a great success. As that aplicative is more mature, we want to work in a new version with the same recourse, with unquestionable beautiful.

FH: When Linspire/Freespire included wincodecs in it's distribution, there was uproar from the linux community about violating GPL, the same happened with Kororaa with it's bundled Nvidia and ATI drivers. How do you solve this in Dreamlinux, and how do you feel about this subject in general?

JBE: As norm we only installed on the distro free use programs and drivers. What we do, to make easier for our users, is give practice ways to make installations of codecs and drivers, so they can do by themselves. We going to include in our next image a new utilitary, named Easy Install, that will take care of the right installation of the programs willing by users, and that are not on the padron distro. About our position about programs and proprietary drivers, we have to live with the current reality. But we believe as linux can go forward on its users quantity, the enterprises will think again about proprietaries licenses, and we believe too that the competent free comunity developers will find, certainly, alternatives and satisfactory options for free operacional system. We walked a lot and in a very few time. The important is to continue and pave the road.

FH: What do you think about virtualization on desktop? Do you plan to include Xen in some of your next releases?

JBE: On Linux world, all progress is always welcome and must be a study object about its using. As on Dreamlinux Project we have as one of the goals the constant inovation of Xen, in the right time, it will be our experimental object too. It's a logic and time question.

FH: What are your plans for Future versions of Dreamlinux?

JBE: Our imediately plans for Dreamlinux are focated on the release of the first aniversary comemoration distron version, that will be on january/2007. We are on the final lap adjustments for our new version can be, as example of last ones, attend our users with quality, beyond various atualizations and facilities, that will follow it. For sure, will be an important step in our walk.

FH: What do you think are the biggest obstacles in wider adoption of Linux on desktops?

JBE: We have already conquered a great number of users and we can do more. We, the developers, have to think always in robusted distribuitions, friendlies and easy using for users, but that offer, in its assemblage, a perfect appearance on desktop and to the eyes. As soon the problems, now infundated, of installation and use of linux are superated, our user market has already a great variety of function programs with high quality, attending that padron user. It's only an adaptation question and left behind the fear of experiment a new and unknown system. It's a conquer that must be done day-by-day, with great advantages for users, by the use of a robust and free system, as for the oportunity to get and exchange knowledge, beyond helping with the participation of user's comunities on the Web.

FH: PC-BSD uses PBI packages, which include all libraries, and you do not run into "dependency hell" known from Linux, do you think this could be a future way for linux packaging?

JBE: It's a new way of programs packaging, and, certainly, will be other interesting processes. Today, on the use of systems via apt-get installation and similars, the depending fact is not as much problematic, seeing that the installations are easy and done tranquiliatly. But, as said, all inovation and facility are always welcome.

FH: Many users complain there are only few games for Linux. What do you think is more likely to happen first. The games will be rewriten also for Linux, or there will be emulator good enaugh to run majority of them?

JBE: About the games, still dephasated for linux, we believe developers still not visualized the potencial existant on linux market. So, the imadiately solution would be through emulators, that make possible for users to run the majority of games for other operacional systems.

FH: What do you think about the recent Microsoft - Novell deal, could there be any danger from this deal for Linux?

JBE: Only time will show us the possbile consequences of the Microsoft/Novel business. We wait and cheer that nothing comes to prejudicate the free operacional system. Thinking in a positive way, we could even get some advantages and oportunities with the unknown situation once started. We have to wait... and cheer a lot.

FH: What distro, if any, apart of Dreamlinux you use? Why?

JBE: As basic distros in our Dreamlinux Project, we used Morphix, Knoppix and Kanotix too, where we adaptated some funcionalities and concepts. They are all excellent, beyond the other excellent tradicional and concepted distros on Linux world.

FH: Do you think there is another great distro like yours we should know about?

JBE: As indication for your knowledge, and as a good brasilian, we pointed the Kurumin distro, developed by Carlos Morimoto, specially projected for the brasilian market, that's is the most used distro in our country.

FH: There is over 100 activ Linux distributions, do you think this is good for Linux as such? Should there not be less distributions and more sofisticated effort on the few main ones?

JBE: About the great number of existing distribuitions, we don't see much incovenience. The diversification is salutary and offers oportunities for various developers to available their works, even when the expectative and curiosity of users for a new distro passes, your final choice is for that one that fits better. So, it's a natural choice. We believe on that as a big force for free system and that obligates the continue improvemment of that developers that want to conquer espace for their distros.

FH: How popular is Dreamlinux in Brazil? What are the most popular distributions in your country?

JBE: Dreamlinux, even being in it's first childhood, is already reverenced in our country, with a lot of possibilities to attract the internal market, beyond the great acceptance in internacional level we are getting.
Here, viewing specifically brasilian public, we have some great distros: Kurumin, the most popular, Kalango and Famelix, both derivated from Kurumin. There are a lot of another quality distros, each one with their users, living all peacefully, in their respective development process.

FH: I read a lot about use of Linux in Brazil by the schools, government etc. How is it with use of Linux in Brazil i general?

JBE: By a governmental decision, linux is being pretty much incentivated in our schools and administratives organs of the government., that view, beyond the quality of works to be done through that operacional system, the great reduction on prices obtained.

FH: Latin America is also know for it's anti USA attitude, could this be any of reasons of use of Linux in Brazil?

JBE: On Latin America, and specially in Brazil, we don't have contrary attitudes from E.E.U.U. Our governments, the major of left democracy, only wants proper and appropriated ways to the necessary social development, decreasing the great existant differences on rent distribuition and on less favored compromisses. It's not a confrontation attitude. We, latin americans, believe on the necessity of reach for a more freternal and fair society, without any preocupation of confront with other countries and societies more economicaly developed.

FH: Brazil is known for Linux company Conectiva, bought by Mandrakesoft (now Mandriva). Is Conectiva profiting anyhow from that?

JBE: The brasilian Conectiva was the distro which had a fundamental parto n linux developement in our country, and the great responsable for the acceptance of open-source operacional system here on Brazil and on spanish language countries. Mounted an eficient development team, which was Alfredo Kojima, creator of Synaptic and of Wmaker too, a desktop manager very light and efficient. For counting with an efficient structure Conectiva was incorporated by Mandrake, for its major participation on markets conquered before by Conectiva. We had the brilliant participation of Marcelo Tossati on development team of Kernel Linux.

FH: Alfredo Kojima is brazilian, who worked for Conectiva and made Synaptic package manager. Are there any other linux contributors from Brazil?

JBE: Now we have others competent developers, that do the best for better and larger divulgation of the free operacional system.

FH: Some organization (maybe Transparency International) stated that Czech Republic is with it's high level of corrupcy on the level of Namibia, which also does not help much with use of less expensive Open-Source aplications in state sector, how is it in Brazil?

JBE: We believe that the free system, independent of the administrative situation present by every country, can and should be incentivated by government organs, because it makes possible the development of specific and necessary programs for the right administration of its recourses, beyond the substancial economy on wastes with its implantation and utilization.

FH: In Czech Republic, some Linux websites are running thanks to adds for Microsoft products, because there are no advertisers yet from the Linux sector. Do you think this is o.k.? How are financed linux sites in Brazil?

JBE: About the internet sites, there aren't a lot of them specialized and only Linux representatives.
They are, as the onte you said, sites that divulgate informatic in a geral way, and, by consequent, Dreamlinux too. The patronizers for sites, saved some exceptions, are so hard that even us from Dreamlinux, we don't have any patronizer and we suffer with the lack of major number of mirrors to attend our demand.

FH: Is there any "working" Linux organization in Brazil, ie. organizing semimars on linux, linux beer parties etc?

JBE: There are, by own iniciatives, some seminaries and meetings about Linux, that year by year increase its representation on the nacional and internacional context. Linux is, basically, a divulgation work of users and forum participants. There will be the time, so we wait, that we're going to have more recognizement and financial and publicitary ways to help us to continue free projects.

FH: Could readers of this article help you with Dreamlinux anyhow?

JBE: We thank you for the oportunity and we want to express our satisfaction in say our opinions and comments about Dreamlinux and about the free operacional system, in a geral way.
We say bye for you, our readers and other friends of Czech Republic, complimenting and waiting that this contact may be the start of a respectable and productive friendship. For the readers that will to help us, participating and knowing more about the Dreamlinux Project, or even with donations for the Project, we invite them for one visit to our site: www.dreamlinux.com.br

A very special thanks for the oportunity.

Salute from the Development Team
Drjesteves - Dreamlinux Project Leader

FH: Thank you for Dreamlinux and for this interview

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