Re: We might need a better wording for our release page
Ananthu C V <weepingclown@debian.org> wrote:
>> Debian is avialable in three main versions (also called suites, releases
>> or distributions): stable, testing and unstable.
>
> I find the usage of "versions" in such as context quite confusing and
> unfitting TBH. It is true that "bookworm" or "trixie" and the likes
> can be "versions" since they are in fact versions and also typically
> have a corresponding version number. On the other hand, "stable" and
> "testing" can point to different "versions" at any given time and that,
> IMO, makes the terminology ambiguous, since they are not in fact releases,
> but whatever names/versions they point to are. I do not exactly have a
> suggestion on which of the alternatives to use instead though.
We picked "version" there largely because it's so vague (barely a
step up from saying that "there are three things"), while all the more
specific words are over-technical and/or misleading. Are you saying
that suites aren't "versions" of Debian because (e.g) "stable" can
contain gcc12 one year and gcc13 the next? I don't really follow that
argument, since after all it's also true of "sid" and (until it's released)
"trixie". Meanwhile people use "versions" to describe plenty of things
that aren't differentiated by age: "vim is a version of vi",
>> unstable
>> --------
>> This is where active development of Debian occurs. Generally, unstable
>> is used by developers and advanced users who like to live on the
>> edge.
>
> While that is a very common usage, I find it quite aggresive (because I
> know a lot of developers live on actual $edge of mental health), and hence
> suggest the usage of something along the lines of "... who like to stay on
> the bleeding edge of technology" (or any better versions of that). That is
> just a personal prefrence but I can guarantee that I am gasping each time
> I read the line :(
"Live on the edge" is in the current webpage; I'd have said if we're going to
avoid expressions with unfortunate associations then we might also want to
avoid "the bleeding edge" as glamourising/trivialising violence. Perhaps we
could say "run by developers and users who like living dangerously"?
--
JBR
apologies if this is mangled by gmail
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