Re: New release over due

[Godric <godric@dial.pipex.com>]

> Neo-fandangled-SuperVision2000 video card which is not supported in
> Debian Slink, so they opt to use RedHat 6.1 instead. This kind of thing
> is increasinly giving the public the impression that Linux is indeed
> forking and that "RedHat is better because it supports more hardware
> than Debian". They don't care that you can just point apt to
> ftp.netgod.net/x and get the latest X server. The need to upgrade is
> often hardware based, not "gotta be bleeding edge" based.

This IMHO is problem of marketing Debs - of people like us who support
Debs making the public aware of just how good Debs is and how easy to
upgrade.

> Then there is the situation where you want a certain program, but the
> program developer provides only debian packages linked against potato
> libraries. What if this program is needed for the system to "do what is
> required"? I encountered this situation myself, but since I didn't want
> to subject myself to a lengthy upgrade process, I didn't bother with the
> program. You might ask "So why didn't the developer compile Slink deb's
> as well?". Good question. I suspect that developers like to have the
> latest libraries etc as well, which explains why this particular one was
> using potato.

I agree - but surely the best solution is for more people to become
Debian developers and help the effort? And if not developers, then help
in some other way - donations, for example. Other distributions can
afford full-time staff to work on stuff.



> That's the thing, I'm not just talking about "unnecessary" upgrades.
> There are situations where it doesn't matter too much about the latest
> stuff, such as if you are running a web site or a samba server. But
> there are situations where upgrading is a necessity.
> 
Again, given the nature of Debian - a volunteer effort - it is
understandable that things
take time. And this is one of Debs great strengths - things are not
rushed just to get a new version out. Time and effort are taken to try
to get things right when a new version is released.