Re: Debian Love
On 2006-09-22, Mike McCarty <Mike.McCarty@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Travis Crook wrote:
>> Ditto! Debian just works! I've tried a couple of other distros, and
>> they don't "just work".
>
> Before we all get too syrupy here, I've posted a problem here
> which never got addressed, and had another user contact me
> months later with the same problem, wondering whether I
> ever got Debian to work, let alone "just work".
>
> If I install a USB mouse, then the keyboard isn't recognized
> by Debian, though the BIOS recognizes it, and Windows recognizes
> it, and Knoppix recognizes it, and Kanotix recognizes it,
> and Puppy Linux recognizes it.
>
Odd. What is the output of:
lsusb
and
dmesg | tail -n 20
when both devices are plugged in?
> Another way in which Debian doesn't "just work" is my girlfriend's
> inability to read her camera memory stick. She finally went and
> got an HP printer which can read it directly without going
> through the computer.
Also odd. You may want to start a new thread to get help with that one.
Did you try the automounter that comes with a full KDE installation or a
full GNOME installation?
>
> Oh, and Debian didn't recognize the printer, so I cobbled up a
> descriptor for it and fooled Debian into thinking it was another
> printer. I couldn't just add the descriptor in the directory,
> apparently there is some sort of index, and no documentation
> on the machine for how to add to it. But I did get it working,
> and followed the instructions for reporting the situation
> to the developers.
>
> Unfortunately, the developers either did not get the message,
> or have chosen not to be polite enough to acknowledge receipt
> of the information I sent.
>
I am curious: what is the bug ID number of the bug you reported? If you
go to http://bugs.debian.org/999999 (replace 999999 by the number) you
can get info on its status, or we can check it for you. Or, at
http://bugs.debian.org, you can search for all bugs you have ever filed
by entering your email address and checking off "Search archived bugs
also".
I am not a developer, but I acknowledge the fact that the developers
don't really send acknowledgements for most bug reports until they are
closed. Personally, I feel fine about that: all bug reports go directly
to the package maintainer's email inbox.
In general, yes, Debian has its quirks, but it is a fine OS, and IMO
Debian and its derivatives offer the best of what the Linux world has to
offer, mainly thanks to apt-get and the thousands and thousands of
packages painstakingly maintained by a team of numerous Debian
Developers, with help from documenters, translators, bug reporters, etc.
and supported by a huge team of people who help out on the mail lists,
IRC, and in numerous other ways. They all deserve a round of applause
for their kind volunteer work in bringing the best of the Open Source
software world to whoever wants.
--Jason
--
The church is near but the road is icy; the bar is far away but I will
walk carefully.
-- Russian Proverb
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