[TriLUG] Debian any good?

[Sinner from the Prairy]

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On Sat January 31 2004 23:1223pm, Peter Long wrote:

> Since my harddisk is acting funny I have decided to upgrade the OS on
> my RedHat 8.0 box (and replace the disk at the same time). I have
> been using RedHat and Mandrake for the last 6 years so I think its
> time to try something new. I tried KNOPPIX 3.3 earlier today when on
> Brian Weaver's advice I used badblocks to check the disk (none found
> Brian). I was very impressed with KNOPPIX. It found all my hardware
> and even had the sound working without any tinkering on my part! I
> understand KNOPPIX is based on Debian so I thought I would try it as
> the OS of my Linux machine.

Debian is a different class of Linux distro. It's a very good distro. It 
has all those powerful tools (namely, apt) and thousands upon thousands 
of packages (although some are not legal to be used in the US, namely, 
the "non-US"). For x86 and PPC hardware, Debian gets tested 
extensively. It has many packages already "debianized" available from a 
different number of sources. You can upgrade easily from one version to 
another with a simple "apt" command .

The basis of Debian is their Social Contract. 
http://www.debian.org/social_contract . Many Debian users do it because 
of the Debian Social Contract.

Debian works more or less like the Fedora Project, although with no 
RedHat behind, way more voluntiers, and more years of experience under 
its belt.

However.

The installation is nothing like you are used to.  You will install the 
modules as you will be the one detecting the hardware... opening the 
case of your machine. The administration is easy: command-line tools 
(something like "pkg-reconfig postfix" IIRC) and a good use of $EDITOR. 
If you know what you are doing, this should not be a problem at all.

And "apt" is also available for RedHat, SuSE and Mandrake (among 
others)..

For a desktop usage... let's face it. Yes, it can do it. But you willl 
be disapointed. Knoppix is not Debian. Knoppix is Debian + "hardware 
detection like RedHat/Mandrake/SuSE" + desktop focused + the 
latest&greatest versions of available software.

Debian comes in 3 "flavours" (see http://www.debian.org/releases/ )

- - stable. 
A rock solid, tested once and again set of pakages. Beware that the 
available packages might be really "ancient" and you will find some of 
your prefeared tools lacking functionality. You are lucky that the 
laetst stable was released this last November. It takes ~ 2 years to 
release a new "stable". 

- - testing
This version has newer packages. Desktop users use (at least) "testing".  
It's stable enough to be used as a desktop. I understand that it's also 
used as a server, when "stable" doesn't have the needed software 
versions. Knoppix uses a mix of "tesing" and "unstable" packages. This 
version is in constant change, and sometimes is pretty broken.

- - unstable
Active development here. The very latest stuff shows up here. Of course, 
it is "broken" , although some parts are more stable than others.

Some of my Debian friends, after having to spend way too much time 
getting a debian desktop in place, got sick of it and now on their 
desktops they are using Mandrake[*]. And those friends used to be the 
ones "wearing an orange robe with Debian's spiral tatooed on their 
forehead" (at least, this is the way Debian "believers" describe 
themselves when we are all kidding). Of course, they all still use 
Debian on their servers and have no plan to change this fact.

[*] In fact, some are writting articles on "howto change from Debian to 
Mandrake in the desktop", to dispell the myth that "Mandrake is Windows 
in disguise, only for woosies". See articles about it on Libertonia 
http://libertonia.escomposlinux.org (in Spanish)


In the end, Linux is Linux is Linux is Linux is Linux.

(for the rms in you, s/Linux/GNU\/Linux)


YMMV, but this is my (and close friends of mine) experience.


Salut,
Sinner
- -- 
http://www.ibiblio.org/sinner/     Linux User # 89976
Mandrake Linux 9.2 -    Linux Machine # 38068
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