CrunchBang interview with Darth Wound
May 13, 2011 (about 1 year ago)
A while ago, I was contacted by Darth Wound with regards to answering some questions for an interview about CrunchBang. Now, being asked to do interviews about CrunchBang is not unusual, I must receive several a month at the moment, but I know Darth Wound through the excellent work he is doing with the French CrunchBang forums, so I was more than happy to try and answer his questions.
Darth Wound has published the interview in French on #!-FR, so I thought it might be a good idea to post it here, in English.
DW: Hi Philip :) please could you introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Philip Newborough (aka corenominal). I live in Lincoln, UK. I am a geek.
DW: So, you are the founder of CrunchBang Linux, could you tell us why did you do this distro, what were your motivations (problems on other distros?)?
When I first started working on CrunchBang, I was using Ubuntu, but with Openbox built from a minimal Ubuntu installation CD. My Ubuntu install differed quite dramatically from the standard Ubuntu GNOME, KDE and Xfce versions that were available at the time, so I thought it might be fun to try and create an installable image based around the Openbox Window Manager.
DW: Why Ubuntu-based, and now, Debian-based? Same question about Openbox and Xfce.
CrunchBang was originally based on Ubuntu because that is what I was using at the time; however, I have now switched CrunchBang to Debian because it is easier to work with — Ubuntu has a mission and the Ubuntu developers sometimes make additional changes to some Debian packages specifically so that Ubuntu can accomplish its mission. These changes can lead to problems for anyone like myself who is trying to work with the modified packages, but does not necessarily want to follow the same mission path as Ubuntu. Therefore, removing Ubuntu from the equation seemed like the logical thing to do.
I am really happy that I made the switch and I am pleased with how the latest Debian based CrunchBang has developed.
Regarding Openbox and Xfce, I really love both. I am currently spending more time in Xfce than Openbox, but in a few months time I could be using Openbox more than Xfce. Both are fantastic and I cannot decide which one I prefer, hence the 2 versions of CrunchBang. :)
DW: How (technically) did you do this? Any inspiration from another distro/OS/something else?
I use the Debian Live build scripts to create the CrunchBang images. The Debian Live project is simply fantastic. It is highly flexible and provides infinite possibilities for customising Debian in any way desired — the Debian Live developers should be applauded for creating and maintaining such an invaluable resource. More information about the project can be found at: http://live.debian.net/
Regarding inspiration, when I first started using Openbox, before the first CrunchBang release, I was heavily inspired by the Openbox guide on Urukrama’s blog. See: http://urukrama.wordpress.com/openbox-guide/
DW: Could you define the “crunchbang spirit”? Do you know that you are an underground prophet of minimalism? :D
I am not sure there is a “crunchbang spirit”, but if I had to describe such a thing, I would probably say that it is to explore, experiment and create, and to have lots of fun whilst doing it! :)
“underground prophet of minimalism”, *chuckles*.
DW: Except for CrunchBang, what are your favorites distros, and why?
I like them all, but I am really fond of Puppy Linux. There is something about Puppy which really appeals to me and I think it encapsulates the Linux spirit. SliTaz and Tiny Core Linux also fall into the same category. Mostly though, I just love the Debian project.
DW: The latest release of CBL is dated on February, is another release planned soon? Or any ideas for new features/packages/something else…?
As you are probably aware, Statler, the latest CrunchBang release, is based on Debian Squeeze, which is stable. At the moment, I am not planning on developing Statler any further, but I may push out some point releases with updated packages.
The next development release of CrunchBang will be named Waldorf and it will be based on Debian Wheezy, the current Debian testing branch. I have a few ideas I am working on for Waldorf, but nothing concrete yet. Mostly, I would like to work on improving the Xfce desktop experience, which I somewhat neglected in Statler.
DW: A lot of members of both communities were surprised about your choice of Google Chrome, and not Chromium (or Iceweasel). Could you answer to them?
I am a pragmatist and I try to use the best software for the job, which at the time was Google Chrome. At the moment, I am still using Chrome, but I also have Firefox 4 installed and I can be found using both. I think we are really lucky to have the choice of using lots of awesome browsers under Linux.
DW: I’ve heard about another of your projects, “Whird”. Could you tell us more about it?
Whird is just a little pet project that I like to tinker at in my spare time. It is software for creating websites and it is written in PHP. I am developing it for my own use, it runs my blog and a few other sites. It is quite flexible/hackable, but it is also very rough around the edges and so I do not think that I would recommend anyone uses it in its current form, unless they are really comfortable with experiencing breakages and problems.
At some point in the future, I am thinking about using Whird for the CrunchBang project, as the CrunchBang website is in dire need of some love and attention — it would also serve as a really good test for Whird.
DW: Have you got any other project for “geeks”?
Not that I can think of, or at least not anything I can talk about just yet. I have a few projects in the pipeline (doesn’t everyone?), but they are a long way from being realised.
DW: Could you give us a screenshot of your actual desktop?
Sure thing, see:
Clean: http://muppy.org/1y
Dirty: http://muppy.org/1x
^ Xfce 4.6 environment on my main desktop machine.
DW: What do you do when you’re not on your computer?
Mostly spend time relaxing with my family. My wife (Becky (aka bobobex)) and I love walking in the countryside with our dog (Daisy (aka wonderdog)) and geocaching. I also enjoy listening to music, watching movies (mostly zombie based) and drawing/doodling.
DW: And, in order to conclude, have you got something particular to tell to the francophone (french speaking) community?
Thank you for embracing CrunchBang. I am of the opinion that the single best thing about CrunchBang is the community that has grown-up around the project. I have met lots of interesting new friends through the project and it never ceases to amaze me just how friendly, kind and welcoming the community is. For example, just this morning I was chatting on Skype with a good friend from France, Arpinux, who I would never have had the pleasure of talking with if it were not for CrunchBang.
Without the community, CrunchBang would not exist. You rock!
P.S. I wish I knew how to converse in French!
DW: Thanks Philip, and may the force stay with you!
My pleasure, and may you live long and prosper! :)
Au revoir mon ami,
— Philip
4 responses to “CrunchBang interview with Darth Wound”
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May 14, 2011 (about 1 year ago)
Thanks again it was a great pleasure :)
Oh, and thanks a lot for the comments about our work. An entire beautiful website is coming soon, very soon ;)
May 14, 2011 (about 1 year ago)
@Darth Wound: exciting, I cannot wait to see what you come up with! :)
May 14, 2011 (about 1 year ago)
True story from earlier this week;
[Sitting in break-room, typing on netbook running #!_xfce. New kid come in…. ]
“Are you on Facebook?”
[blink]processing for ten seconds[/blink] “When the hell did you ever learn anything new or useful on Facebook? I’m on the forums…”
I love our community, but without a good foundation, we wouldn’t be here. Thank you.
Jun 8, 2011 (about 11 months ago)
Almost a month late… But I did catch up to this via Planet Crunchbang Linux RSS feed and glad that I did…
Well Done Darth Wound, it is always great to hear Phillip’s thoughts and ideas..
I appreciate this and agree the #! community rocks!!!