Re: [TCLUG:22762] Re: Mandrake...

[Joel Schneider <jts@tc.umn.edu>]

> My $0.10, where's me $0.08 change?

It seems there are a significant number of debian devotees fervently
convinced of its superiority to other distros.  Mention of debian in
comparison to other distributions seems to invariably provoke much
commentary regarding apt-get.  Does this single application alone ensure
debian's supremacy?

I like ISOs.  They are good.  No amount of blather about apt-get will
convince me that I don't want ISOs.  In pre-debian days, when ancient
Slackwares and RedHats roamed the land, it was possible to install linux
via ftp using only a few floppies.  So what.

That being said, I find many aspects of debian interesting and
appealing.  Here is my (perhaps limited) list of debian's advantages:

1. Stability: avoids reliance on bleeding edge "unstable" software.
2. Security: serious effort is made to deliver a secure system and to
repair security holes.
3. Ease of administration: apt-get.
4. Convenience: Easy to install a "bare-bones" system, using minimal
hard drive space.

Some of the disadvantages I've encountered with debian in the past are

1. Inconvenience: Typically slow to adopt nifty new features, such as
kernel 2.2, available in other distros.
2. Inconvenience: Debian ISOs I've tried in the past have been missing
essential "non-free" software such as Netscape.
3. Inconvenience: Able to install full distro, including a journaling
file system such as ReiserFS, on a non-networked laptop computer?

It would appear that, for me, the primary disadvantage of using debian
has revolved around inconvenience.  Is it really necessary to roll your
own ISO in order to get all of the "unstable" or "non-free" features you
want?  Are user friendly tools available for creating customized ISOs?

Debian is among the least marketed linux distributions.  Its main
advocates appear to be grass-roots supporters.  I, for one, would be
interested in having someone try to "sell" me on debian.  Does debian
offer advantages I'm unaware of?  Can my objections be answered?  (Might
this be a good topic for some future TCLUG presentation?)

Joel