alpha Section 1

[Jerry3904]

[alpha Manual is here: http://www.mepiscommunity.org/manuals]

Please suggest changes for the Introduction:

--questions
--corrections
--additions/deletions
--links
--images

I had to make up language from the Community in this section, so please feel free to propose differently.

I also need to know whether anticapitalista is on board with this and whether he wants to add a few words directly as Lead Developer, so I hope he comes wandering by.

[chrispop99]

I believe anti is tied up with what he calls 'real work' atm.

Chris

[Jerry3904]

Thanks I saw something about that on the antiX forum

[lucky9]

Section 2.2.1 Obtain the ISO
Under 'Download'
Subsection Torrent
First paragraph

An added benefit is that most, if not all, BitTorrent clients perform error checking during the download process

This should read 'An added benefit is that all BitTorrent clients perform error checking during the download process (This is part of the BitTorrent protocol)'.

[Gaer Boy]

1.1 Should we add that restriction of ISO to CD size constrains choice of default applications? Or is that to change - see comment 2.2.3, which refers to DVD.

[SilverBear]

1.1 About MX Linux
MX Linux is a special version of antiX developed in full collaboration with the MEPIS Community, using the best tools and talents from each distro. It is a midweight OS designed to combine an elegant and efficient desktop with simple configuration, high stability, solid performance and medium-sized footprint.
Although antiX is its “code-parent,” MX Linux comes with a distinct set of applications and procedures that in many instances differ completely from those of antiX. Relying on the excellent upstream work by Linux, MX-14 deploys Xfce4 as Desktop Environment on top of a Debian Stable base; ongoing backports to the Community Repos keep it current. It also incorporates the independent and innovative development products Whisker Menu, smxi and inxi.
MX Linux is provided exclusively as a 32-bit version. Such a version will work for 64-bit architecture and may actually be better for many users, since some software is only available in 32-bit and might require some effort to make it run on a 64-bit system. The main advantage of 64-bit is that it is faster for a few applications and possibly more on the cutting edge of technology.

In general, any Intro or Preface or whatever one calls it is partly an advertisement: "Here's why you should use/read/buy Our Thing!"
So in the final line of the above section, it doesn't go to the point to start discussing why a 64-bit OS is better than what we're offering!
I'd suggest something more like:

1.1 About MX Linux
MX Linux is a special version of antiX developed in full collaboration with the MEPIS Community, using the best tools and talents from each distro. It is a midweight OS designed to combine an elegant and efficient desktop with simple configuration, high stability, solid performance and medium-sized footprint.
Although antiX is its “code-parent,” MX Linux comes with a distinct set of applications and procedures that in many instances differ completely from those of antiX. Relying on the excellent upstream work by Linux, MX-14 deploys Xfce4 as Desktop Environment on top of a Debian Stable base; ongoing backports to the Community Repos keep it current. It also incorporates the independent and innovative development products Whisker Menu, smxi and inxi.
MX Linux is provided exclusively as a 32-bit version. Such a version will work for 64-bit architecture and may actually be better for many users, since some software is only available in 32-bit and might require some effort to make it run on a 64-bit system. Although we also offer a non-PAE version to run on older hardware, MX's standard kernel has PAE (Physical Address Extension) to allow you to to utilize more than 4 GB of RAM and other memory-mapped devices. MX Linux won't waste your useable hardware resources.

[Jerry3904]

Yeah, that's a leftover from Warren...

[antiX-Dave]

Section 2.2.1 Obtain the ISO
Under 'Download'
Subsection Torrent
First paragraph

An added benefit is that most, if not all, BitTorrent clients perform error checking during the download process

This should read 'An added benefit is that all BitTorrent clients perform error checking during the download process (This is part of the BitTorrent protocol)'.

DO NOT RELY ON THIS FOR ISO INTEGRITY !!!!!!!
I know of several events where this has become an issue where the user downloaded the iso relying on the bit torrents error checking and ended up with strange problems! In all the situations it came down to the iso file in the end of the download not having the same md5 sum. It does give you better chances of a good file but please make mention that it is not perfect.

[lucky9]

I think that you will find that a BitTorrent file's integrity is based on who's tracker you get it from. I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't totally legitimate. PirateBay and other sites like them are lousy with downloads with unknown payloads. What you say is probably correct in the absolute sense that there are bad people out there. And that their downloads will cause problems that you've never dreamed of. See wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent

Segmented file transfer implementation: the file being distributed is divided into segments called pieces. As each peer receives a new piece of the file it becomes a source (of that piece) for other peers, relieving the original seed from having to send that piece to every computer or user wishing a copy. With BitTorrent, the task of distributing the file is shared by those who want it; it is entirely possible for the seed to send only a single copy of the file itself and eventually distribute to an unlimited number of peers.

Each piece is protected by a cryptographic hash contained in the torrent descriptor.[6] This ensures that any modification of the piece can be reliably detected, and thus prevents both accidental and malicious modifications of any of the pieces received at other nodes. If a node starts with an authentic copy of the torrent descriptor, it can verify the authenticity of the entire file it receives.

[SilverBear]

I think that you will find that a BitTorrent file's integrity is based on who's tracker you get it from. I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't totally legitimate. PirateBay and other sites like them are lousy with downloads with unknown payloads. What you say is probably correct in the absolute sense that there are bad people out there. And that their downloads will cause problems that you've never dreamed of. See wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent

Segmented file transfer implementation: the file being distributed is divided into segments called pieces. As each peer receives a new piece of the file it becomes a source (of that piece) for other peers, relieving the original seed from having to send that piece to every computer or user wishing a copy. With BitTorrent, the task of distributing the file is shared by those who want it; it is entirely possible for the seed to send only a single copy of the file itself and eventually distribute to an unlimited number of peers.

Each piece is protected by a cryptographic hash contained in the torrent descriptor.[6] This ensures that any modification of the piece can be reliably detected, and thus prevents both accidental and malicious modifications of any of the pieces received at other nodes. If a node starts with an authentic copy of the torrent descriptor, it can verify the authenticity of the entire file it receives.

Absolutely, lucky! It's GIGO, like any data processing. Dave is right: just because you've DL via torrent doesn't mean you have the correct ISO --it just means you have now got the identical version of whatever was uploaded as a torrent.

This is why when we started the Mepis Torrent Team, we took pains to get it right. Other distros have similar teams, and the "official" torrents listed on Distrowatch, for example, can almost certainly be trusted. I'm not a mod on http://linuxtracker.org anymore, but we used to --and I believe they still do-- try to monitor the reliability of the torrents --mostly through error reporting in the Forum section of the site.