Why I'm staying with Debian

Message

Lux · #1 Post by **Lux** » 2007-09-09 09:11

Bruce Byfield lists in his blog some reasons why he has decided to stay with Debian.

MeanDean · #2 Post by **MeanDean** » 2007-09-09 11:13

For better or worse, I’m comfortable with Debian — sometimes, I think, too comfortable.

nailed it for me!

Perfect description IMO....

txHarleyMan · #3 Post by **txHarleyMan** » 2007-09-09 11:31

"Almost as important as Debian’s technical excellence and arrangements is the community around the distribution. This community is one of the most outspoken and free-thinking in free and open source software. This behavior is a source of irritation to many, including Ian Murdock, the founder of the distribution and my former boss, who thinks that the distribution would run more smoothly if its organization was more corporate."

Yep. Sure did.

rickh · #4 Post by **rickh** » 2007-09-09 16:28

This system means that most experienced Debian users have a mixed system, with packages from more than one repository — an arrangement that is far preferable to blindly updating because an icon in the notification tray tells you that updates are available. It also means that official releases don’t mean very much; usually, by the time one arrives, you usually have everything that it has to offer anyway.

I would go so far as to say that, unless you have experience in managing a mixed Testing/Unstable environment, you are not really a Debian user.

Plato · #5 Post by **Plato** » 2007-09-09 16:56

I would add that I have some experiences in using mixed system, and now I use Etch and I am going to stick with it . However, I really do not care whether I really are or are not Debian user. I just use Debian Etch.

MeanDean · #6 Post by **MeanDean** » 2007-09-09 17:12

rickh wrote: I would go so far as to say that, unless you have experience in managing a mixed Testing/Unstable environment, you are not really a Debian user.

I would say you are a debian user. But you are not taking advantage of one of the greatest benefits of debian....or maybe you are since you have the choice but are choosing not to make use of it. Maybe I would say you aren't making full use of what debian provides, but that is okay.

That being said, gimp2.4 ROCKS!

rickh · #7 Post by **rickh** » 2007-09-09 17:38

I would add that I have some experiences in using mixed system, and now I use Etch

Having the knowledge to efficiently manage a mixed system does not mean that that has to be your choice for day to day use; only that you really understand Debian's design and how to take advantage of it.

garrincha · #8 Post by **garrincha** » 2007-09-09 18:02

MeanDean wrote:
rickh wrote: That being said, gimp2.4 ROCKS!

hellfire[bg] · #9 Post by **hellfire[bg]** » 2007-09-09 18:51

That being said, gimp2.4 ROCKS! Very Happy

Well i like it very much but this new theme feels strange.

For better or worse, I’m comfortable with Debian — sometimes, I think, too comfortable.

Sounds familiar.

ghostdawg · #10 Post by **ghostdawg** » 2007-09-09 20:32

I like it very much of all the other distros, along with Slackware. Besides debian having a very good & large community and one of the best package management systems around.

It so easy, even a caveman can use it!

bigbearomaha · #11 Post by **bigbearomaha** » 2007-09-09 20:48

I can tell you why I am staying with Debian Etch, I love stability and consistency. and so far, in my limited time using Etch, I have had absolutely NO "overwhelming" issues. everything works out very easily, very smoothly, exactly because it has been so thoroughly tested.

For my personal at home machine, I am keeping Debian etch as a permanent fixture.

vaya con dios y canta al cielo

Big Bear

txHarleyMan · #12 Post by **txHarleyMan** » 2007-09-09 21:26

rickh wrote:I would go so far as to say that, unless you have experience in managing a mixed Testing/Unstable environment, you are not really a Debian user.

It is best to pick a release and stick with it. Or for the /must haves/, add the Backports repo in your sources.list file.

Sure, you can mix packages from the different repositories as long as you understand Pinning correctly otherwise you shoot yourself in the foot.

So I use Etch; Debian Etch.

Qew · #13 Post by **Qew** » 2007-09-10 00:11

rickh wrote: I would go so far as to say that, unless you have experience in managing a mixed Testing/Unstable environment, you are not really a Debian user.

*Goes to check that he installed Debian Etch on his machine, not Edgy*

Check!

*Again checks if he's got Debian Etch on his machine instead of an Ubuntu*

Yep, check!

*Wonders if rickh has some elitist issues*

Check!

BTW, do you consider Debian users who use non-free to not be real Debian users?

rickh · #14 Post by **rickh** » 2007-09-10 02:14

BTW, do you consider Debian users who use non-free to not be real Debian users?

Nope, non-free is fine. It's also OK to use Etch, if you are sure that you have the skill and Debian familiarity necessary to manage a mixed Lenny/Sid installation. Otherwise, you are just a stiff with limited curiosity and imagination. You probably needed help to get Etch working properly, which is about as brain-dead an operation as there is in Linux.

JN4OldSchool · #15 Post by **JN4OldSchool** » 2007-09-10 02:28

rickh wrote:
BTW, do you consider Debian users who use non-free to not be real Debian users?
Nope, non-free is fine. It's also OK to use Etch, if you are sure that you have the skill and Debian familiarity necessary to manage a mixed Lenny/Sid installation. Otherwise, you are just a stiff with limited curiosity and imagination. You probably needed help to get Etch working properly, which is about as brain-dead an operation as there is in Linux.

You reckon Linus ever managed to figure her out?

rickh · #16 Post by **rickh** » 2007-09-10 02:32

You reckon Linus ever managed to figure her out?

I think it's safe to say that Linus has the necessary skills.

http://blog.hands.com/blosxom/images/linus.jpg

jozyba · #17 Post by **jozyba** » 2007-09-10 03:13

JN4OldSchool wrote:
rickh wrote:
BTW, do you consider Debian users who use non-free to not be real Debian users?
Nope, non-free is fine. It's also OK to use Etch, if you are sure that you have the skill and Debian familiarity necessary to manage a mixed Lenny/Sid installation. Otherwise, you are just a stiff with limited curiosity and imagination. You probably needed help to get Etch working properly, which is about as brain-dead an operation as there is in Linux.
You reckon Linus ever managed to figure her out?

Linus Torvalds has barely figured out html yet:
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/torvalds/

He's an obsessive. He's totally brilliant in his own field and a total noob at most everything else. For instance his opinions about Debian are years out of date but like a total noob he still expresses them with complete conviction. (I did agree with him on the KDE/Gnome thing though). I like the bloke a lot. Does anyone else look at that wide smile of his and remember the cover of "MAD Magazine"?

JN4OldSchool · #18 Post by **JN4OldSchool** » 2007-09-10 12:31

jozyba wrote:
JN4OldSchool wrote:
rickh wrote: Nope, non-free is fine. It's also OK to use Etch, if you are sure that you have the skill and Debian familiarity necessary to manage a mixed Lenny/Sid installation. Otherwise, you are just a stiff with limited curiosity and imagination. You probably needed help to get Etch working properly, which is about as brain-dead an operation as there is in Linux.
You reckon Linus ever managed to figure her out?
Linus Torvalds has barely figured out html yet:
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/torvalds/

He's an obsessive. He's totally brilliant in his own field and a total noob at most everything else. For instance his opinions about Debian are years out of date but like a total noob he still expresses them with complete conviction. (I did agree with him on the KDE/Gnome thing though). I like the bloke a lot. Does anyone else look at that wide smile of his and remember the cover of "MAD Magazine"?

He was wrong on his outspokenness on the Gnome thing also. I always favored KDE myself, though I use XFCE and would consider e17 before either KDE or Gnome, but that is all beside the point. I am not saying Linus isnt allowed his opinions, just that I thought a man of his caliber would have more integrity then to say some of the things he does. The truth is there are things you can do in Gnome easily that are harder or cant be done in KDE and vice versa. Try to make a top panel opaque and the bottom colored in KDE. I have used Gnome and didnt find it limited at all. It is such a stupid argument when both, many desktop environments are freely available. The same with the distro wars crap. Debian isnt any harder to install than any other distro for anyone who has even dabbled in Linux for more than a few months. It was a stupid statement from a brilliant man who should have known better.

esaym · #19 Post by **esaym** » 2007-09-14 04:55

debian rules!