From: M-L <rose_snug@bigpond.com>
To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Why I left Debian
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On Saturday 28 October 2006 23:09, Bruno shared this with us all:
--> Hello,
-->
--> I really do not want to start any flame here but after all, as I used
Debian --> for few months, I find honest to say why I'm leaving it.
-->
--> So few months ago, I installed etch on my laptop (previously had
Fedora-5 on --> it) just to try it and because I think is good and
important to try other --> distros when you have some free partition /
computer and time to do it. -->
--> Hereafter main problems encountered (some recurrent) these last months :
-->
--> - as I installed etch around 50% of shutdowns never complete. So common
that I --> was used to unplug battery simply to shutdown. Same for 'logout
session' --> which allways freeze the laptop with a new login attempt.
-->
--> - recently I had to 'pinning' apt-get (or dpkg..do not remember..) on
previous --> version because latest version continuously break apt-get
repository. Only --> cost few hours of googling to find a solution.
-->
--> - 'kde su root' reject root password (...which was accepted in a 'su
root' in --> a console)
-->
--> - flgrx / mesa / libGL often block apt-get update/upgrade seems because
of a --> dependency about libGL. Difficult to install a 3D system but even
more --> difficult to keep it stable that I decide to forget 3D when using
etch on my --> laptop.
-->
--> - others..sorry only remember hours of googling to find solutions..
-->
--> Once again I do not want to start any flame here : indeed Debian is a
superb --> distro (packaging system is really superb) but, IMHO, dedicated
to 'Linux --> techies' ?
--> However my conclusion is this week-end I'll move back to Fedora (even if
yum --> is so far behind dpkg).
-->
--> Bye,
--> Bruno
Hello Bruno,
Laptops can be a pig to get working with any distro, especially if they are
new on the retail counter.
If you're new to Debian or any Linux distro, you will have to do a bit of
reading a bit of asking and then a bit of tweaking.
Taking Linux Debian as an example, install stable, Sarge in this case, and
then check out the problems and try to discover why they are being caused. In
my own case, I started with Woody, but it wouldn't touch some of the hardware
in my lappy. So then moved to Sarge while it was testing, and discovered what
had to be done to get the system up and running, and then moved it to Etch,
another testing. Where things get broken, but you either have to have the
patience to be able to work around something till the next upgrade stream, or
learn the way to fix it yourself.
Linux Debian is a philosophy I think. Not a geeks distro, but rather an
lifelong learning experience. You are always embarrassed by the options
available in Debian. But if you're set in your ways, won't use Lyx, Abiword,
or something else when OpenOffice.org doesn't cut it for you before the next
update stream in testing. Stay in stable and look at backports.
When you get everything working on your system, in Debian, you have already
gleaned a great deal of knowledge about your system and the way Debian works.
Then you hit testing and "laffs at things broken for a little while." If you
only want a stable system that works a treat, then you want any Debian stable
system, and if it doesn't work with your hardware to do all you want. Run
your system through a testing version of Debian till it all works, and stay
there if you feel comfortable with it. There are quite a few people still
running Debian Woody, because they know it and it works. New hardware or
something else might move them on. But it will always be their own choice to
do something that also requires the shift.
There is no best system in Linux, there is only what you want to do, how you
want to do it, and your outlook on life. I am certain that Fedora is also
very good. I don;t think their is a bad Linux system, or none that I have
tried at any rate. But Debian suits me best, because it suits my character.