Is it okay to ask help for other debian based distros ?

[Eimant]

Is it okay to ask help for other debian based distros in Offtopic(I have an issue with antix and btrfs and none of the suggestions in antix forums(exept not using btrfs but I want to use it)(didin't helped)?

[spacex]

I don't know, at this point I'm a bit confused whether it's allowed or not. In my mind it should, as Debian-derivatives for the most part are just Debian with cosmetic changes, and perhaps some added user-friendlyness. The under the hood stuff is for the most part the same.

If it's not allowed, then ask the same question and pretend it is for a custom Debian netinstall

[arochester]

Yes, it's OK. Some people around here use Antix so you may get a satisfactory answer.

The trouble with derivatives is that you might start with Debian , then things get changed and you get (say) Ubuntu, then things change and you get (say) Linux Mint, then things change...

Sometimes derivatives move so far from Debian and have so many changes that Debian people are not the best to ask. Sometimes people get pointed to the relevant Forum, but Antix is not a derivative as far removed as others and you have tried the Antix Forum.

So yes.

(It can get a bit annoying when people ask about (say) Kali and say they visited the (Kali) Forum but there are not many people about there and they can't get an answer to their question. That's not our fault or responsibility . Perhaps if people stayed around there they would fare better, instead of quickly jumping out to ask others.)

[GarryRicketson]

Is it okay to ask help for other debian based distros ?

Yes it is ok, but it is important that, when you tell about the problem, be sure to include the details, what distro it is, etc.

[otyugh]

I personnaly use debians community (irc) big time even for archlinux problems ; most of the time it's about understanding a piece of software behaviour, what is convenient with the system version is that it much or less say to us what version is everything you use, this being put appart, not much of a deal most of the time, the distro choice.

Your question about btrfs I guess, is one of them ; there won't be a lot of debian's specific in there as I forsee it. Now, pop your question !

[Eimant]

Thanks for reply all. Where should I post it in offtopic or System configuration?

[dasein]

(a) Offtopic

and

(b) If the antiX folks couldn't answer your question, prepare yourself for the possibility that no one here will be able to answer it, either.

On a related note...

People here (myself included) volunteer their time to help people with issues. Wasting my time by lying about what distribution one is running is pretty damn disrespectful.

+1

Obtaining something of value through deception is called fraud. Sociopaths don't have a problem defrauding others, but most folks are going to have a problem with it. It will easily and permanently poison your relationship with large swaths of the community.

[edbarx]

Obtaining something of value through deception is called fraud. Sociopaths don't have a problem defrauding others, but most folks are going to have a problem with it. It will easily and permanently poison your relationship with large swaths of the community.

Oh dasein, you know conscience and respect for others have become rare beasts.... but I agree with you equating deception to get unwarranted help with fraud.

[spacex]

If it's not allowed, then ask the same question and pretend it is for a custom Debian netinstall

Um - no.

People here (myself included) volunteer their time to help people with issues. Wasting my time by lying about what distribution one is running is pretty damn disrespectful. There's not much that'll cause me to walk away quicker, except maybe someone asking for help with Kali

But what you don't know, doesn't hurt you As long as the question is something that's related to Debian, and not something that's spesific to the derivative, then it doesn't matter. Then the answer will be useful to people running vanilla Debian also.

In my mind, ask about anything as long as it isn't Ubuntu, because then my answer will always be to install something else

[spacex]

Obtaining something of value through deception is called fraud. Sociopaths don't have a problem defrauding others, but most folks are going to have a problem with it. It will easily and permanently poison your relationship with large swaths of the community.

Oh dasein, you know conscience and respect for others have become rare beasts.... but I agree with you equating deception to get unwarranted help with fraud.

The difference though, is that I consider most Debian derivatives as being just Debian, so it isn't a lie.

Could someone explain me the difference between a custom Debian install that someone does for just for themselves, or if it also becomes a derivative by them sharing it with others? But obviously, they shouldn't ask question that is spesific to the derivative. But if it is a "upstream" Debian issue, surely they should be able to ask about it in the Debian-forums.

[Job]

Are we saying that Debian derivatives don't have forums or help channels?

[GarryRicketson]

If it's not allowed, then ask the same question and pretend it is for a custom Debian netinstall

Um - no.

People here (myself included) volunteer their time to help people with issues. Wasting my time by lying about what distribution one is running is pretty damn disrespectful. There's not much that'll cause me to walk away quicker, except maybe someone asking for help with Kali

No you definitely DO NOT want to "lie" about any details , these are a important details, what version of Debian, is important also, but even more so if it is a different distro, it is very important we know what distro it is, the solutions to a problem might not be the same, say for MX-14, as it would be if it was ubuntu. This is especially important when related to package installations, and the sources.
That is to say, if we do not know which distro it is, how can we point some one to the correct repository, if we do not know which distro they are using.
It is important to be accurate and truth full in all the details when asking for help on a problem.
The same applies to every thing, but that is another topic, I will say this much, when I see that a person is a liar, and encourages others to lie, can not take anything that person says seriously, they can not be trusted.
-------------------

Thanks for reply all. Where should I post it in offtopic or System configuration?

Probably "off topic", it would depend, if it is a "System configuration" issue ,well,..use a little common sense,..also there is no problem, if a moderator feels it should be in a different "topic" area, they will move it, but also notify you it was moved and why.
Why don't you just read this ? : Forum guidelines. Please read before first post!
I think it pretty well explains everything. But maybe you did, and there is no problem asking,..would you be so kind as to just be upfront, and tell us, what distro are you wanting to ask questions about ? Instead of "beating around the bush",..with this.
Thanks

[GarryRicketson]

Are we saying that Debian derivatives don't have forums or help channels?

Well no one said that, most do. And quite often that is what the responses are when it is another distro. Someone posts a url to a forum for that distro.
Some of the forums for other distros ,really are not as good as this one, ...
As much as it annoys me, many people come here, asking about why their MS windows won't boot, but even those get help, and this definitely is not a forum for
Windows problems. But any way, .. usually if we do know of a better forum, where they may get a better answer we point them toward that.

[andre@home]

For many Debian derived distro you can find here most weblinks incluiding the help pages and forums....
http://distrowatch.com/search.php?basedon=Debian
Try that first... as the best help you will get there instead of on any other place...
You can always search on this forum whether the problems i known here too and a solution may be there and applicable for you?

Example:
http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=mint
Forum: http://forums.linuxmint.com/

[GarryRicketson]

Thanks for reply all. Where should I post it in offtopic or System configuration?

To answer that, you need to tell us upfront, what distro, and is it a "system configuration" problem ?
Edited: OOPs!

antix and btrfs and none of the suggestions in antix forums(exept not using btrfs but I want to use it)(didin't helped)?

I see you did,..
I think "system configuration" would be fine, we have at least 1 member "stevepusser"
whom is very knowledgeable about antix, and all of that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------end edit------
It is good though to ask first , when one is not sure about something.
Please ignore the suggestion that you lie, or leave out details, all that will accomplish is
1. As soon as people realize you are not telling the truth, or telling everything, your credibility is lost, and maybe very few people will take the time to try to solve the problem.
2. Depending on the problem, the solution that works on one distro, might even crash, or damage the system on another distro. The same for which version of Debian, the older versions do not use systemd, and also the repositories, that you should be using are different, they are Debian, but there are ones for Jessie, others for Wheezy, others for "testing" and "experimental"
This will help clarify on that, https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian
and welcome to the forum

[Bulkley]

"Is it okay to ask help for other debian based distros ?"

Whether or not it is okay may be moot. There are so many distro specific variations that it may be a waste of time and effort for everybody concerned to come here. If you want good answers, the best place to look is where the users of a particular distro hang out. It also helps to read the appropriate documentation.

There are some distros that are so specialized (such as Kali) that it is assumed by their developers that any users will be skilled enough that they don't need help and don't offer much. Again, bringing any problems here won't help.

[dasein]

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... 15#p542283

[arochester]

+1 +1 +1

Have you also tried posting on the MX & Mepis Community Forum? http://forum.mepiscommunity.org/

[spacex]

...Could someone explain me the difference between a custom Debian install that someone does for just for themselves, or if it also becomes a derivative by them sharing it with others? But obviously, they shouldn't ask question that is spesific to the derivative. But if it is a "upstream" Debian issue, surely they should be able to ask about it in the Debian-forums.

No distribution except Debian uses 100% Debian binaries and configs, so here's an example. Let's suppose you're running Crunchbang Waldorf - which is based in Wheezy. You tell me you're running Wheezy and the shutdown command on your menu doesn't work.

I chase my tail trying to figure out how you configured a shutdown link in Openbox and you tell me it's always been there. I chase my tail some more and offer several solutions, none of which is correct. We go running through shutdown options to find nothing wrong.

So maybe 15 posts down you mention that you're running #! and what's really happening is that cb-exit (which is a Crunchbang package not available in Debian) is broken or missing.

Trust me, you wouldn't be on my Christmas list that year

As a long time CrunchBang-user I do understand what you're saying. But now you picked one of the very few things that aren't the same. Obviously people who ask have to include details. It wouldn't be any better if someone using Debian, just said that the shutdown in Debian doesn't work. You wouldn't jump on a solution with so little information. What distribution, what DE? What are you using for shutdown? And by the way, I use my own version of cb-exit for Debian also. That's called "tl-exit" As I only use openbox, I'm using the same script no matter what distro it is. I have one version for sysVinit, and one for systemd.

Are you in fact saying that only people running the Debian defaults should get help? The minute someone installs and configure something away from the default, then they are on their own...So only users of the DE's should get help? Those straying away with openbox, fluxbox, jwm, i3, iceWM or whatever should be excluded from asking questions in this community?

But now I think i've got it. If I'm using obsession-logout from the obsession package, then you will help me. But not if I use cb-exit or a script that I've written myself?

Anyway, don't worry. I will probably never be asking any questions, and if I do, then know in advance that I'm never going to use vanilla Debian, as there is no vanilla Debian for openbox.

[spacex]

...But now I think i've got it. If I'm using obsession-logout from the obsession package, then you will help me. But not if I use cb-exit or a script that I've written myself?

Nah - I wouldn't help you at all. You tend to lie about the distribution you have installed

Ok, Nice to know But I'm tremendous at googling, so I will be fine, and I often find solutions for Debian on the Arch-forum. Or elsewhere. Because let's face it. Some things are universal and not distro-spesific, and even when the solutions can't be used exactly as they are, they usually set me on the right path, so I'm able to adjust it to whatever distro I'm currently using.

By the way, I'm never going to use anything besides TweakOS. I Installed Debian 8.2 Mate yesterday, but that's only to see if I can make something decent out of something as boring as that. So expect a tweakos-mate spin in the near future. I will mess up Debian as often as I can