Source Mage GNU/Linux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Website: | www.sourcemage.org |
| Company/ developer: |
Source Mage GNU/Linux Community |
| OS family: | Linux |
| Source model: | Open source |
| Latest stable release: | 0.9.6 / March 13, 2006 |
| Kernel type: | Monolithic kernel |
| License: | GPL |
| Working state: | Current |
Source Mage GNU/Linux is a Linux distribution. It is a source-based distribution, that is, when a package is installed its source code is automatically downloaded, compiled, and installed.
Other source based Linux distributions include Gentoo Linux, Lunar Linux, Sorcerer (Linux distribution), and Onebase Linux.
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[edit] History
Historically, Source Mage is a descendant of Sorcerer GNU/Linux. In 2001, Kyle Sallee released a Linux distribution named Sorcerer GNU/Linux under the GPL. However, several developers were unhappy with Kyle's development approach, and created a fork of the project that eventually became Lunar Linux. Kyle Sallee was extremely unhappy about this, and removed Sorcerer GNU/Linux from the web (making it impossible for users to update their systems). Most of the remaining developers of Sorcerer GNU/Linux picked up the pieces of Sorcerer GNU/Linux, and restarted the project. At first they released their project under the old name (Sorcerer GNU/Linux), but Kyle Sallee requested that they rename their project. They agreed, and eventually renamed their effort Source Mage GNU/Linux. The project was released under the name Source Mage, with new leadership not including Kyle Sallee, in April 2002.
[edit] Sorcery
- Further information: Sorcerer (Linux distribution)
Source Mage's tagline is "Linux so advanced, it may as well be magic", and its commands have a "sorcerous theme". Each package is called a "spell", and its package management program is called "sorcery". To install a package you "cast" that spell. Casting a spell consists of downloading the source code (if it is not already downloaded), checking for dependencies, casting them if necessary, compiling the program, and installing it. A set of available spells is called a "grimoire". To uninstall a package you "dispel" the spell.
[edit] Social Contract
Source Mage GNU/Linux has established a "Social Contract" that establishes its basic rules, which are similar though not identical to Debian's. It promises to "keep the Source Mage GNU/Linux Distribution entirely free (as in freedom). This means that all software we release will be licensed under the GNU General Public License, and all of the software included in our distribution will be under a GPL compatible license, as defined by the Free Software Foundation (fsf.org). All of our documentation will be released under the GNU Free Documentation License." They also "acknowledge that some of our users require the use of programs that don't conform to the strict SMGL Licensing Guidelines. While SMGL will never rely on non-free software, we do not limit a user's choice of software. We will provide the tools for a user to make their own informed decisions, via each spell's "LICENSE" field, and the sorcery spell filter. Thus, although non-free software isn't a part of Source Mage, its use is supported, and we provide infrastructure (such as our bug-tracking system and mailing lists, as well as spells) for non-free software packages."
[edit] Installation
Installing Source Mage GNU/Linux involves first creating a minimal installation with a kernel (so it can run), the GCC C compiler, a network connection, and a few other basic tools to support downloading and compiling source code. This enables the system to download, compile, and install all the other components, and the compilation results can be tailored for that specific system.
[edit] Portability
All Source Mage-maintained code is designed to presume a very minimal system. For example, it is written in Bash and GNU-based POSIX utilities, and GCC doesn't need to build with g++ (the C++ compiler). GNU Sed and Awk are used instead of Perl. This makes Source Mage suitable for a small installation.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- http://www.sourcemage.org/
- "About Source Mage", Linux Weekly News, August 2, 2005
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