Re: Debian too difficult, Red Hat?
OK well I guess I am qualified to put in my two hapeth here as I have just
moved to Debian after using RedHat since 4.0.
RedHat is VERY easy to install in some ways. Its hardware detection is very
very good and it takes about 15 minutes to do the whole thing. It does however
have some major disadvantages
1. There menu system for X doesnt change depending on what packages you have
installed so say if you have no Xemacs the menu option will still be there
(this may have changed in 5.2 though as I have'nt tried this yet.
2. Upgrading to latest packages is not automatic you have to download them
from the errata ftp site one by one after readig which ones you need.
3. A lot is left unconfigured, RPMs are quite good but they doen't go into
config mode after they install the way debs do, so say you install sendmail it
won't then ask you some questions to config it for your PC you will just have
to hack away by hand.
4. LinuxConf which they now use for almost all system config is a complete
pile of *****. Sorry to those who like it and the author as its a great idea
but it just annoys the hell out of me. Try using it to setup IPX connectivity
sometime and see what I mean. If it every gets sorted out though it will be
nice.
5. The printing subsystem is a complete mystery to anyone who isn't a wizard
at reading very long bash scripts. I thing it uses nenescript but god knows
exatly how its bolted together. It works fine if you have a local printer
thats in the supported list but for anything else its a nightmare.
6. RedHat change a lot about the way a package installs eg where it puts its
files and also config scripts, well so does Debian to some extent but Debain
tend to have Readmes to tell you what they have changed RedHat doent you have
to guess or examin the patches in the SRPMS.
Eventually I started to feel constrained and annoyed by RedHat, its a nice
shinny slick system in some ways but Debian seems to have more depth. Also
changing over at a later date will give you another learning curve (which I am
going through right now :) ) as things are different enough between the two to
throw you.
Don't get me wrong RedHat is not a bad distribution and they have done a lot
to raise the profile of Linux,I liked it a lot better than SuSe or Slackware
but I think Debian is better and gives more control.
Also whilst RedHat may initially seem to be easier in the medium term and long
term it really isn't.
Pat - in opinionated mode.
On Wed Dec 16, 1998 at 08:46:01AM -0800, Clyde Wilson wrote:
> I agree with you Kent. Debian is much too difficult to start out with.
> Redhat removes a lot of options to give you a working system without much
> configuration on your part. Later, when you are shooting for "guru-ship"
> you can go to Debian and really get into it. Both systems are a
> tremendous amount of fun!!!
>
>
> On Tue, 15 Dec 1998, KTB wrote:
>
> > Hi, thanks to all the people who have offered advice with configuring
> > X-windows. I have not been successful and am brain dead at this point.
> > I also tried hooking up to the internet with the same result. I chose
> > the debian release because I wanted to learn more about computers (I
> > have only used a pc off and on for the past year) and I like the
> > philosophy behind Debian. I am wondering if Debian is just too
> > difficult for me at this point. I am wondering if maybe I should try
> > Red Hat, I have heard it is easier to install, and then come back to
> > Debian. Does this sound like a logical progression to anyone? I don't
> > have experience with either one so I just don't know the best course to
> > take.
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