[TriLUG] Debian question

[M. Mueller (bhu5nji)]

Thanks.  That clears up a lot.  I see more clearly that my requirements might 
be in the minority.  I need secure and stable Linux, Like Debian Potato, on 
the cheapest new uATX AMD Duron mainboard with video and LAN built-in.  
(Biostars have been filling the bill so far.)  If I hold my Linux distro 
constant and keep applying it to an ever changing stream of new mainboards as 
time increases, I should expect to uncover incompatibilities from 
time-to-time.  

To succeed, it seems like I need to troll the Debian lists for 
someone/somegroup that can guide me through finding remedies for those 
incompatibilities as they arise.  I may need to get closer to the developers 
than I would using the user's list.


On Friday 22 February 2002 09:44 am, you wrote:
> On Fri, 2002-02-22 at 09:10, M. Mueller (bhu5nji) wrote:
> > Is Debian falling behind the other main distros (RH, Mandrake, SUSE)?  I
> > pick up hints that this is the case in things that I read and overhear. 
> > Several months ago I had some mysterious mainboard problems usings Debian
> > Potato that did not exist with RH6.1 (straight out of the box).  That
> > experience put the question into my head.  Then I just read Mr. Chen's
> > post that the ext3 stuff is unofficially in the Debian.
>
> As both a debian (on my personal alpha box) and a RHL (on my intel
> boxen) user, I find myself in a position to answer you without getting
> into 'my distro is better than yours" arguments *grin*
>
> > Are the "for profit" distros able to apply more resources to staying
> > current?
>
> In all honesty? No. The goals of the two types of distros are completely
> different. *ONE* of the primary focuses of debian is stability and
> security, across a broad range of platforms. This means that while they
> may not support the latest 2.5.6-pre kernel, or support the newest SMP
> motherboard, you can be reasonably sure that if it's a supported box, it
> will *WORK* with little or no trouble. And it will stay up for a long,
> long time.
>
> Debian uses a lot of volunteer and contributor resources, and, much like
> the building of the email server here at TriLUG, it can take a while to
> get all of the resources in order, tested, and ready. This means that
> the "stable" (and even the "testing") distro isn't always up to date
> with today's hardware support, kernel, or XFree servers.
>
> Additionally, debian has a very strong GLP/Free Software belief.
> Hard-core, almost, to the point where there is a semi-regular discussion
> on the debian lists about dropping the "non-free" package tree (that can
> get as heated as recent conversations here).
>
> The commercial distros, with fewer human resources, are a little more
> streamlined in the process. This means that they are better able to
> support the latest and greatest hardware, kernel and whatnot. However,
> since they're all "off-the-shelf" sales, it's also expected that they
> support that new ATI gfx card sitting next to it at best Buy. So the
> "for-pay" distros spend a lot of cycles testing against new hardware,
> and optimizing for the current consumer. One example of this is the
> decision made by mandrake to only support for x586 and higher
> processors. Sure, it's optimized for Pentium+ machines, but if you like
> 'drake and happen to have a 486, you're SOL.
>
> Additionally, the commercial distros aren't always bound by the 'Live
> Free or Die" credo, so they sometimes include non-GPL/non-OS software in
> their final builds. One example is Netscape 4.x, which is included in
> RHL and most RHL derivatives, but is part of the non-free tree in
> debian.
>
> Anyway, different focuses. If I need a backup DNS built from an old
> Alpha multia, I'll use debian stable or testing, because I can be
> reasonably sure it'll be rock solid. If I need a high-end server or game
> machine, I'll use RHL or 'Drake, because they're more likely to support
> today's new hardware, and are optimized for this sort of thing.
>
> Hope this helps...

-- 
Mike  M.

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