Re: distributions: UBUNTU vs DEBIAN
On Sun, Apr 23, 2006 at 03:55:27PM -0600, Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
>
> In general, I agree. A suggestion to change something to be more
> useful shouldn't be met with derision.
>
> In this case, however, it seems to me that several people, including a
> debian dev, have tried to explain why the request is contrary to the
> goals, in fact the very purpose, of debian. It strikes me as kind of
> like a consumer telling Ferrari their fuel efficiency sucks ...
>
> Or maybe I'm missing Steve's whole point. But that's how it seems to
> me.
I think this thread was originally an attempt to describe the differences
between Debian and Ubuntu in a way that would help others make the most
appropriate choice for their needs.
Unfortunately, while both systems have their advantages and disadvantages,
I think some on this list have interpreted praise for any of Ubuntu's
features as criticism of Debian, or demands for Debian to change (and
to be fair, I think some have muddied the waters with such suggestions).
I think it is certainly fair for a Debian developer, or any other user,
to argue against requests that would be contrary to the Debians stated
goals. But it is not reasonable to object to someone pointing out the
disadvantages of those goals when considering the relative merits of two
distributions.
There is also some confusion in that some people have been talking about
software/firmware that is not excluded because it is covered by a
licence that would make it illegal to do so, and others have been
talking about software which could legally be included but is not
because of philosophical objections to the license conditions.
My impression is that there is a tradeoff betweem simplicity and versatility,
and Ubuntu leans further toward the former, and Debian toward the latter.
Personally I would rather talk about how we can simplify the Debian experience,
in particular the installation procedure, without violating the charter or
reducing the versatility of the system.
For example, if the licensing restrictions on the downloadable firmware for
a particular network adapter prevent it from being included on the install
CD, then perhaps the install CD can be made to look for additional software
on a USB pen that can be used by the installer to provide license restricted
software. Or perhaps we can find a way to make it easier for people to
avoid buying hardware that relies on license restricted software in the
first place.
Regards,
DigbyT
--
Digby R. S. Tarvin digbyt(at)digbyt.com
http://www.digbyt.com
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