Re: Debian, Knoppix, and other varients

[Mike M <linux-support@earthlink.net>]

On Mon, Feb 09, 2004 at 11:55:03AM -0500, Adam Aube wrote:
> On Monday 09 February 2004 11:37 am, Mike M wrote:
> > Does this mean that the only way to get a system that just works is to
> > mix and match software from all branches?
> 
> That depends on how you define "just works". All branches except stable 
> have a chance of broken packages, so based on that stable is the only 
> branch that "just works".
> 
> The mix of the branches provides a system that "just works" while 
> supporting newer hardware that stable does not currently support. 
> However, this same mixing makes it difficult to keep a system updated 
> from the Debian archive, as a package that worked when the Knoppix CD was 
> made may be broken currently in the branch it is drawn from.

I guess "stable" means bedrock stable then.  It seems there will never
be a Debian stable that is aware of the latest hardware.  Hardware is
released at a faster rate than the rate at which stable can be released.

To use Debian on the latest hardware then you must use unstable or
testing, which exposes you to possible broken packages.

Live-cds mix and match packages from different release streams
(unstable, stable, testing) thus making update/upgrades out of the
mainstream of Debian support.
> 
> I would not use Knoppix for anything other than a Live CD for this reason.
> 

What I want is an up-to-date hardware configurator and all the blessings
of stable.  This will most likely never be available. It seems
impossible.

I would settle for an up-to-date hardware configurator with the stream 
purity of unstable. This appears to be in the works with Sarge, so I'll
go try it.

What I have is Knoppix on HDD with a /etc/apt/sources.list pointing to
all the Knoppix defined mirrors with the exception of some that don't
work (which highlights the problems you point out).
-- 
Mike

Two hundred years ago, we note mischievously, the average American or 
European had a standard of living not very much superior to that of the
average man in India or China. -- dailyreckoning.com