Gentoo to Ubuntu, or bottom-up to top-down

After many years of using and proselytizing to others about Gentoo, last week, I converted to Ubuntu (Kubuntu, to be precise).

This transition has made me think about how I use computers. Thanks to years of *nixes before user-friendly distros like Ubuntu, my understanding is bottom-up: I start with low-level functionality, then build higher-level abstractions. This is in contrast to most users' top-down understanding: start with provided high-level abstractions, then dig deeper if necessary.

To illustrate the difference, consider connecting to a wireless network. I know that I first bring up the network interface with ifconfig, then assign an ESSID and WEP key with iwconfig, then finally get an IP address with dhcpcd. I can execute these low-level steps by hand. However, to make life easier, I create a script to execute them. I can then extend this script to pick one of a set of networks, run a VPN program after connecting to a particular network, etc. This script is a higher-level abstraction that hides low-level details.

In contrast, a typical user has a top-down understanding; they start with the high-level abstraction. For example, in Kubuntu, the knetworkmanager program puts a nice icon in the system tray from which users manage their networks. The user never needs to know about ifconfig, iwconfig, or dhcpcd. Until something breaks and they have to dig deeper, anyway.

The top-down approach is vital to making computers usable to laymen. For years, Linux effectively required a bottom-up approach, which is one reason it was so inaccessible. This is why it's good to see new distros, like Ubuntu, moving toward a top-down approach.

In keeping with this spirit, I'm trying to use Ubuntu in a top-down manner. In other words, I'm trying to use only the high-level abstractions it provides, without digging into low-level programs and configuration files to build my own. This has worked well enough that I'm recommending Ubuntu to my non-Linux friends. Still, I miss the power and configurability of the bottom-up approach. Which is why you'll periodically see some of my nicer abstractions on this blog.