discuss: Production use distribution? ---Re: [olug] Linux sysadmin position

[Phil Brutsche]

Brian Wiese wrote:
> When you/they say support, do they mean it "only works on (coded for)
> Redhat" or they "only test it on Redhat"?  I'm just wondering how a
> program designed for GNU/Linux would work on one distribution and not
> another?  (hard coded to use specific Redhat programs? paths?)

They usually mean "only tested on RedHat".  That doesn't mean it won't 
work, however.  It just means that the pain to make the software you 
*need* work with any other distribution than what is supported by the 
software manufacturer may not be worth it.  Someone who can make e.g. 
Novell's eDirectory for Linux work with anything other than RedHat 7.x 
is braver than I.

> I'd really like to find out/address the point (if it exists) that perhaps
> not all distros are alike?  They cannot all be customized to work exactly
> the same (after removing all the fluff)?

Most commercial software packages *can* be customized to work exactly 
the same.  It's just that it may not be worth the pain of trying to get 
the right library versions etc installed on the target machine, when you 
could "just" install the supported distribution.

Sun, HP/Compaq/DEC, IBM, and Windows shops have the exact same issue. 
Oracle for Sun, I've heard, hasn't been qualified to work under anything 
newer than Solaris 2.6 or 7 - the newest of which is now 4 years old!

-- 

Phil Brutsche
phil at brutsche.us