why can't distro makers agree to a set standard?

[Red Squirrel]

edit: this should go in linux forum, must if hit windows by accident

I've been playing with lot of various distros lately and one thing I've noticed is there is a huge lack of consistency in how things are done.

For example, some use /etc/resolv.conf for dns, others use /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0, I've seen some use /etc/sysconfig/network etc... So every time I have to fight with it to figure out where I set the dns server.

Also I've run into 2 distros now where the eth0 does not come up automaticly at bootup, so I have to add ifup eth0 in the rc.local.

Then there's raid. On some distros a md raid will come up automatically at start, others, I have to manually set it to come up automaticly.

There's lot of other small things like that which I've noticed.

I'm writing a hosting control panel and it will be very hard to make it work in every distro because they always move stuff around and nobody wants to agree to a certain standard as to where certain systems settings go, etc.

Why do they do this, and is there a way around it? Like can stuff like DNS, IP address, time server be set through a standard command?

 

[Nothinman]

For example, some use /etc/resolv.conf for dns, others use /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0, I've seen some use /etc/sysconfig/network etc... So every time I have to fight with it to figure out where I set the dns server.

/etc/resolv.conf is used by every distro. Other pieces may be there to augment managing the entries in that file, like resolvconf, but the C library's resolver always uses /etc/resolv.conf.

Also I've run into 2 distros now where the eth0 does not come up automaticly at bootup, so I have to add ifup eth0 in the rc.local.

Then you need to figure out the real reason why eth0 wasn't coming up, adding 'ifup eth0' to rc.local is just a bandaid over the real problem.

Then there's raid. On some distros a md raid will come up automatically at start, others, I have to manually set it to come up automaticly.

RAID is an odd one because it's usually interwoven with LVM but I've yet to see a distro that doesn't include md and LVM startup scripts in their initramfs.

I'm writing a hosting control panel and it will be very hard to make it work in every distro because they always move stuff around and nobody wants to agree to a certain standard as to where certain systems settings go, etc.

That's something that every developer fights with, it's just the nature of the beast. Why are you writing yet another hosting control panel anyway?

Why do they do this, and is there a way around it? Like can stuff like DNS, IP address, time server be set through a standard command?

Why do multiple distros exist at all? Because different people like different things? If everyone could agree on the same set of programs, config files, logos, etc we'd only have 1 distro.

 

[0roo0roo]

pretty much, thats the whole point of liniux, people wanting different things, so naturally it becomes branched.