Quoth Paul Libbrecht on or about 2004-11-11:
The *REAL* problem, as I see it, is that Apple were impolite
enough
not
to bundle Fink and the libraries with your system, which is what
Linux
vendors do. (That's why Debian has 7 CDs and OS-X only has 1.5.)
And that would mean endorsing Fink! Although Fink's quality standard is quite high, I would not expect
it
to reach, for example, Apple's standards...
But we're drifting...
Then let me just say then, that IMO distributing *no* product is a
damn
sight less useful than distributing a poor product.
Note that I'm not talking about preinstalling anything, just that a `contrib' DVD (with a big warning sticker about unreliablility, if you like) be included with new Macs.
What is in it for Apple though? Why would they want to distribute a DVD that has free tools that either A) They sell something similar to; B) One of their big corporate buddies sell something similar to; or C) They're not going to benefit from in any way, shape, or form (by corporate standards)? And who would prepare and maintain this, as well as make sure there is never any malware included?
Plus, why would you want to distribute something to people that in the end is a hassle for you. Because warning sticker or not, for Joe Six-pack, if it comes with their new computer they're going to assume it's safe. And the negative feedback they'd get from "the average user" would be enough to deter them. Just because we all understand how open source tends to work, we read those stickers, and also read the EULAs doesn't mean a thing to the rest of the world (because they don't).
So for them, why should they go to the trouble of giving people a disc full of stuff that people are going to disregard or potentially be upset with them about?
I like the way that most Linux distros are with including every possible tool you could ever need... but the Linux perspective of "if it doesn't work, I'll make it" doesn't apply to the Mac world in which, if it's from apple it "just works".
And for the record, it would rock if Apple did such a thing and I'd stand behind them... but it's not too likely that it will happen in the near future.
-Josh