Possible change of focus

[linkthegamer]

Seeing as the OS is not really getting anywhere i am proposing a change of focus, in that instead of working to make ONLY a linux distro we work on making cross platform furry programs, since the furs who use linux can just roll their own and it is REALLY REALLY hard to get people to even attempt to install an OS (windows comes preinstalled on most computers so they don't even know how to install that).

This is NOT the end of the OS, it will be a side project (and if we go into browser plugins we could add a browser side project), it will no longer be the apex of our focus, we will work on improving existing linux (and windows and mac, and maybe some BSD) using patches and new programs. Later we will roll the linux version into an OS as sort of a "lazy man's install" and a portable liveCD.

As figurehead and PR guy i have ran into several people asking Why a furry Linux as well as other questions. This made me think, do we really need a WHOLE NEW derivative distro of linux, Why do we think a window user would dare muddle in the OS space, What would make a happy ubuntu fur give up his whole set-up and depend on us to release as fast as a team of 100s, and really what do we KNOW we will do differently with the OS. A lot of ideas to revolutionize the OS have been pipedreams, things like never using the terminal (the terminal is still a very important part of the OS and as the user becomes more accustom to linux they might find it helpful and not working on improving it is shortsighted), The image underlay for the WM (as far as we know it can't be done), the Furry MID idea (good idea but the funds are just not here and it would make more since to just develop for android and IOS. Also some of the ideas bring up MAJOR privacy concerns), Power-users love to rough it (i mean maybe a Guru level loves to do everything from a text based system, but some people like having a GUI to help set stuff up, saying the power-user can just "use the text based installer" is like VLC saying "Oh you chose advanced setup, here is config.txt, enjoy"), and most furries live to make and collect art (while it is a vital part of the fandom, assuming a fur either creates art or collects it is flawed, first of there are several forms of art, from visual to written, audio, video, and everything in between, a lot of furs might even be programmers and would like a way to get their favorite IDE or compiler while installing the system.)

TL;DR: The project should take a cross-platform application and program creation focus, leaving the OS for a future release when more is done and tested.

Here are some things Shnatsel recommended we help with: 

"In particular, finishing the styling for search.furrychan.ru and giving it a better domain name would be nice. e.g. my http://content.wuala.com/contents/Shnatsel/Ubuntu%20Furry%20Remix/Source%20&%20Stuff/whirls-bar-coloured.svg/?dl=1 might make a nice background for the search box. 
Cricetida could use some love. 
Hosting some articles with rationales for releasing art under creative commons licenses is also a great thing to do (based on http://questioncopyright.org/sita_distribution and some other articles) 
Lobbying introducing Creative Commons in FA or InkBunny or whatever like they are in DeviantArt would be neat. 

Heck, even a design document describing various furry-related ideas in technology would be awesome - e.g. that authentication idea would work not only for an OS - it fits a website perfectly, too. (After all, we don't even have to hack anything ourselves to change the world for good - thinking and presenting ideas can be enough. BTW I still haven't seen any good picture-presenting pages, not only in furry online galleries but in any galleries at all, so I might make a design doc about it someday)."

I would like to add to that offering or services to other fur website, programmers, and the likes.

One furry based program that could use some help is the Yiffurs client (it is NSFW though), the coder used a trial of a $2000 USD installer program to make it and that trial causes a nagware window whenever the program is booted, with a bit of java (i believe that is the language used) we should be able to make a non nagware installer for it and give it cross-compatibly (We can help adult programs but will NOT include them in the future OS).

Any artist, I urge you to consider placing some of your art under Creative Commons, (i myself am working on making most my images a modified CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0 as seen here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2643153/ exceptions are commissions (i have none, will be CC'ed if commissioner allows), art by other people (they have to CC it themselves), and Art of other people (the must give me permission to CC it) but other then that any thing i draw of my characters is free to remix and hand out as long as you say "linkthegamer made this")

Finally, PR team will work with the public to get new interested developers and create a friendly active community (we want people to think of us as living beings not an antonmous cooperation that doesn't care about them unless the have some sway with the fandom)

Graphic artist who want to do Ads, I suggest at the moment making ads that show we are a friendly organization that is looking furs of all talents to help make tools for the fandom, as well as promote openness and community.

~linkthegamer, FIgurehead and dreamer