Distrowatch

[vbrummond]

As far as google searches are concerned we are all fairly close.
http://www.google.com/trends/?q=debian+ ... all&sort=0

This surprised me though. Debian stomps that stupid meme.
http://www.google.com/trends/?q=debian, ... all&sort=0

[dasein]

At the risk of bursting your bubble...

The only one of the terms that really needs disambiguation is "mint." Adding "linux" to all three queries "overfits" the results.

Here's an alternative view:

http://www.google.com/trends/?q=debian, ... all&sort=0

[vbrummond]

In the interest of fairness and due to mint being a common word I opted to add linux to all of them. Ubuntu is not exactly common but it is used outside of the distro being a popular brand of cola. Debian I never heard of otherwise.

I do not have a bubble to burst, I only posted these for fun.

[dasein]

In the interest of fairness and due to mint being a common word I opted to add linux to all of them.

Sadly, this is one of those instances where fairness may occlude (or even preclude) accuracy.

I do not have a bubble to burst...

Yikes. No offense intended. These are just ideas we're talking about here.

[vbrummond]

I am not like an eggshell. It is difficult to offend me so I am not sure what you mean.

[iceman]

Great links to add to this thread, thank you.

My thoughts... I noticed that Debian declines but there are two major reasons I think with that. 1- (A)Debian users don't need to search Google. We know where to find all the information we need, many of us just know what we are doing. (B) Most of us do not trust Google anyways and use alternative search engines, such as Duck Duck Go, etc. 2- There has been a serious increase in Debian based Distro's. This may have taken a few away, but I honestly think 1 is most likely for the decline.

I counted the number of distro's at Distrowatch's top 100. There are so many that are Debian, Ubuntu/Debian and Mint/Debian based, it is amazing.

[iceman]

While looking for alternative Linux lists I came across this one. No votes in and out, just lists and categorizes. https://lwn.net/Distributions/ I mention this only since I don't really use Distrowatch and there are other alternatives out there if one really feels the need for it. This link shows Debian at the number one spot, so of course I love this place https://lwn.net/Distributions/#lead

[MALsPa]

While looking for alternative Linux lists I came across this one. No votes in and out, just lists and categorizes. https://lwn.net/Distributions/ I mention this only since I don't really use Distrowatch and there are other alternatives out there if one really feels the need for it.

Nice list, but it makes me wonder, is there anyone else out there putting together information about various distros like DistroWatch does? Their tables showing a distro's features, packages, and releases, and the other info you find at each distro's DW page, like links to forums, reviews, etc. -- there's nowhere else where I've seen so much info all in one place like that.

[dasein]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not seeing the "added value" in LWN's alphabetical sorting. Their list seems to make no meaningful distinction between active, thriving distos and moribund or even nonexistent ones. For all its faults, at least DW makes that seemingly important distinction.

[MALsPa]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not seeing the "added value" in LWN's alphabetical sorting. Their list seems to make no meaningful distinction between active, thriving distos and moribund or even nonexistent ones.

Yeah. For example, the link they provide for Klikit Linux doesn't work. Is that distro still active? I found http://www.klikit-linux.com/. And also, they list Linspire, which is long gone.

[demosthenese]

My take on the 'major' thing is this.

If Ubuntu and Mint disappeared tomorrow, then the good ship Debian would sail on as if nothing had happened. If Debian disappeared in a puff of smoke, there would be major holes in Ubuntu and Mint.

Debian is major distro because of its wealth of package maintainers, without whose work the derivative distros could not exist.

[iceman]

My take on the 'major' thing is this.

If Ubuntu and Mint disappeared tomorrow, then the good ship Debian would sail on as if nothing had happened. If Debian disappeared in a puff of smoke, there would be major holes in Ubuntu and Mint.

Debian is major distro because of its wealth of package maintainers, without whose work the derivative distros could not exist.

Words of wisdom


Poll results so far.
Yes, all the time 11% [ 4 ]
No, not anymore 17% [ 6 ]
Once a week 14% [ 5 ]
Once a month 8% [ 3 ]
Once every few months, give or take. 25% [ 9 ]
Only for Distrowatch Weekly. 3% [ 1 ]
Never did. 19% [ 7 ]
What is Distrowatch... 3% [ 1 ]

[emoric]

I actually do tend to check Distrowatch every other day or so. I'm always curious to see what is new and what not. I'm always trying new distributions in Virtual Box but none of them give me reason to leave my current Debian install.

[62chevy]

Do you still check out Distrowatch?

Yes, all the time 7 15%

No, not anymore 7 15%

Once a week 6 13%

Once a month 4 9%

Once every few months, give or take. 12 26%

Only for Distrowatch Weekly. 1 2%

Never did. 8 17%

What is Distrowatch... 1 2%


Total votes : 46





I only go if someone gives a link to an article. I use linuxquestions to find out what others think about a distro.

[debianized]

I check it all of the time and have for years. I don't install or play with much found there these days though, for numerous reasons.