choosing a linux distribution
RE: your web page at http://mkracht.aye.net/~matt/linuxdist/
> Debian
>
> Web: http://www.debian.org/
> FTP: ftp://ftp.debian.org/
You've got this part correct, at least.
> Installation
>
> For some reason, Debian requires six disks for their installation
> program. I knew this was a bad sign, but I had no idea that I would find
> so much of the distribution improperly planned.
Actually, Debian requires zero disks for installation. It can be installed
directly from a bootable cd-rom (if you have a machine capable of booting
from CD).
If not, then you can install using two floppies - the boot disk and the
drivers (kernel modules) disk. The rest of the base system can be installed
from either CD-ROM or NFS.
Finally, if none of those methods work for you (e.g. you have an unsupported
CD-ROM or ethernet card), you can install using six disks - the boot &
drivers disks plus four "base" disks.
The base system gives a minimally working Unix system. About 10MB worth of
basic unix tools & utilities. Everything else (e.g. compilers, games,
applications and other packages) can be installed from the CD-ROM, or via
ftp or NFS or one of the other installation methods supported by dselect.
> Installing Debian is a bit of a bitch, especially if you're trying
> to do it through CD ROM. I would recommend staying away from Debian
> unless they've updated their install program to better accomodate this
> media.
Which CD-ROM did you buy? There have been several CD-ROMS put out by
people/companies who appear to have completely ignored Debian's instructions
on how to produce a debian CD. Infomagic, for example, has put out a few
bad CDs which either don't work or were missing important files or were
pre-release beta versions of the distribution.
Other companies have had no problem creating WORKING debian CDs, some by
following the instructions, and some by using just a little bit of
brain-power and rolling their own value-added version. It's not
impossible, and it's not even difficult.
The Debian team has taken steps to avoid this problem in future releases -
the project leader now creates a cd-rom image file which can be downloaded
by any CD manufacture and written directly onto a CD. Should be fool-proof
(although given Infomagic's past performance with debian CDs, I wouldn't
put it past them to screw up with this too).
> Configuration
>
> Configuration of Debian is a true nightmare when you use the
> full-screen program called select. I found it to be worthless
> and used the command line tool at all times. Luckily, the Debian
> package manager, dpkg, is a lot easier to use and seems to clone the
> functionality of RPM (qv). Of minor note is the ability to use RedHat
> packages on a Debian system.
BTW, what you are talking about here is INSTALLATION. *not*
CONFIGURATION.
dpkg doesn't clone rpm. it was designed and written completely
independantly from rpm. It can do a whole lot more than rpm can,
including real (i.e. working) dependancies and conflicts information.
dselect, as you say, is difficult to use for the first-timer. A
significant portion of the difficulty is directly caused by the sheer
number of packages available for debian. dselect was easy enough when
debian only had a few hundred packages. With around 1300 packages
available now, the user interface leaves a lot to be desired.
Work is in progress to implement an improved version with hierarchical
display and selection of packages. Debian is good now, and getting
better all the time.
i use dpkg to install, uprade, downgrade, or remove individual packages.
I use dselect to do a full system upgrade when I want every package
which has a newer version to be upgraded. This is how the tools are
intended to be used.
> Upgradability
>
> Debian releases tend to drag behind current software releases,
What gives you that impression? Take a look at the debian-changes mailing
list. Most packages are updated with new versions within a few days of an
upstream release.
> assuming that nobody would want to actually stay on the cutting edge.
That's a pretty big assumption. Many debian users & developers upgrade
their systems every week or two directly out of the "development/" (aka
"unstable/") directories. I run several debian systems, and keep all
of them fairly up-to-date. My own personal workstation tracks unstable
very closely, getting upgraded once per week or more. I use it as a test
machine - if no new bugs are introduced by the upgrade, then I upgrade
the servers as well.
IMO, "unstable" is a misnomer as it implies that a system built with it
will crash often. In my experience, nothing could be further from the
truth. The "unstable" name refers more to the fact that the distribution
is in a state of flux - continuously changing, with new packages and new
versions of old packages being added all the time.
> I couldn't see much point to running old software using a nightmarish
> interface, and chucked Debian rather quickly. If you're the cautious
> type, you might appreciate this attitude.
I suggest that you read some of the background information about debian.
Debian, IMO, appeals to people who want a mature, stable, WELL DESIGNED
linux distribution. By "well designed", I mean that the system has been
put together as an integrated whole, all parts working smoothly with all
other parts, with no weird conflicts.
Debian's package management system (dpkg), with it's Conflicts:,
Depends:, Recommends:, and Suggests: fields, ensures that you can't
break a working system by installing a package which conflicts with
another package (e.g. installing sendmail when you already have smail
or exim or qmail installed), or removing a package required by another
package (e.g. sendmail requires deliver or another local delivery agent
such as procmail)
In summary, debian appeals to those who want to be on the "bleeding
edge", but to be there as safely as possible. No distribution can ever
be a substitute for a competent system administrator, but dpkg certainly
makes it easier....
...with debian you are effectively getting the combined brains,
experience, and talent of approximately 200 developers as "assistant
system administrators" for your system - each one of them responsible
for and specialising in their own individual packages, as well as
contributing ideas and code to make debian-as-a-whole run more smoothly.
Craig
NOTE: I am a debian developer. I maintain a few packages and contribute
regularly (when i have time) to the debian mailing lists. I became a
debian developer because it was a way for me to put something back into
the debian project.
PS: I read your "Why TV sucks" page. I live in Australia, but TV is just
as bad here...which is why I choose NOT to have a television set. I
haven't had a TV in the house for almost 10 years. I occasionally watch
some TV whilst visiting friends...I don't think I'm missing anything.
--
craig sanders
networking consultant Available for casual or contract
temporary autonomous zone system administration tasks.
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