how long to mature for a distribution

[cmay]

the question is how long do you think it takes for a distribution( also other than linux) to become mature. i was just thinking about that when i upgraded from ubuntu 7.0.4 to 8.0.4 after i did a fresh install of debian etch and the linux magazine popped up in my mail with an open suse dvd 1.1..3 bundled with it. i have just read in it an article about minnix 3 and i started to think about open solaris which i had only the 2008 versions of. (i had the latest iso downloaded and installed but i reinstalled ubuntu due to problems with my internet but i been using open solaris about 4 or 5 month now .) i have had played around with bsd but not as much as i can say i am or have been a bsd user yet. but i follow up on new releases if it is desktop bsd or any live bsd i get to know about. i however have freedos which is very slow on a new release and maybe i doubt there will be one.may not unless you have the full cd with all the sources and cook one up your self :)

so what is your view opinions on the very simple question to ask but maybe more complicated to answer if anyone can at all.

thanks for the feedback.

[loell]

classic answer the question with another question.. ;)

define your disto maturity? :D

[cmay]

classic answer the question with another question.. ;)

define your disto maturity? :D
got me :)

well defined stable and up to date and hmmmm............ i dont know.
as a "mature end user product" that needs a minimal setup and configuration and match hardware of today. i think ubuntu does this and for me debian etch does this but minix for me do not meet these standards since the only way to get a driver for usb ,other network cards than a few selcted and a danish keyboard layout is to start write it one self (like linus did ) freedos i think is far better than what i hear about older dos but i would somehow never imagine freedos on a asus eee pc as the "next thing" but then again i never would have imagined i would start to be using a small laptop the size of a standard household cookbook. which i do now and find very great since the portability is really outstanding when it it that small..
that could be more the future as i see it right now. but the distributions that are around now somehow gotta keep up with the new things also.

[exploder]

I think I understand the question, but the answer depends on the particular distribution in question. Ubuntu for example, seems to mature about two months after each release, with a little help from getdeb.net. Debian seems to be mature in around 23 months.

Every distribution and release is different, so there is no time frame set in stone. Also, different packages included in distributions mature at different rates and have different stable release cycles. I used Ubuntu as an example because I used to see posts all the time saying to wait a couple of months after a release to update. It was good advice.

Once a new release is out a much larger audience runs it and more bugs are discovered. You will encounter this with any distribution and it is not really a fault, it is just a matter of the large number of package maintainers being on different stages of development when a new release is built.

Development is a very complicated process.

[cardinals_fan]

Depends on the distro. Most Slackware releases are pretty stable right at release, because Pat Volkerding doesn't release until he's sure it's ready.

[Sorivenul]

Depends on the distro. Most Slackware releases are pretty stable right at release, because Pat Volkerding doesn't release until he's sure it's ready.
+1

The trend I've seen is that those systems that have longer, or more thorough, development cycles tend to be more "mature"/stable by default. Slackware, Debian (stable), and the BSDs are among the few systems on my list that seem "mature" upon initial install.

[Z_Cee]

I'll give this question a good try? The goal of a lot of Distro's is to work on as many different computer setups as possible and yet not take up to many resources or much space on your hard drive afterwards. Also, maturity is measured differently for different Distro's. Some are aimed at a user with more knowledge to perform an install, while other Distro's are aimed toward the novice. In both cases each of the individual Distro's can be considered mature by the individual audiences they are built for.

Maturity is not only measured in the Linux realm of Operating Systems. While Windows XP is a good operating system it had a few hiccups when it was released and now is mature. Vista, and Windows 7 have major problems and IMHO will never mature. (Yes, I've tested beta versions of Windows 7). I beta tested Vista for M$ and for the most part they ignored a lot of beta tester's bug reports.

[loell]

which bring me to a straight conclusion,

Distro Maturity = developer (( bugs - features) / testers * ( development release date - stable release date))

:KS , does that expression make sense? :KS