Re: Attracting newbies (Was Booting Debian/testing fails)
Kevin Kempter wrote:
Hi;
I'm just now looking into installing debian on my laptop to test it out. I'm
not a newbie to Linux - I've run Redhat, Fedora, Mandrake and SuSE over the
past several years. However I am a newbie per debian and/or debian based
distros. I would be interested in adding to this effort based on a "debian
newbie" sort of perspective. Of course first off I need to get moving on the
install for myself.
This is my first post to the list, I've been reading for several weeks.
I've been a Linux user for about 2 years, and during that time I've tried
to learn as much about Debian as I could. I actually started with MEPIS,
as it was an easier first step into Debian-based Linux. After listening
to the different viewpoints of Debian users, I thought I would add my own.
For whatever reason, I tend to get a mental picture of different distros.
The size of the developer pool, the user pool, and the apparent experience
level of the users can usually give a user an overall mental image of what
a distro is like. My impression of Debian, from my very first look, until
now, nearly 2 years later is this:
Debian is a rock solid operating system that is best used for servers, or
by experienced users that know how to shape it into a flexible desktop.
I personally think this is an excellent image to have. The reason there
are so many Debian-based distros out there is because it is a solid base.
That is also why so many mission critical servers seem to use Debian. Of
course Debian is also known as being a purist distro, the most "free" of
all. To cater to a lot of new users that are unfamiliar with Linux, some
things seem to get thrown in. Example: MEPIS and Ubuntu seem have a lot
of drivers thrown in that maybe aren't as open as they could be. This is
a sacrifice they make to cater to the new user.
I, in no way intend to push away a new user to Linux, I am all for it.
However, it may just be my perception of things, but I think that Debian
should continue to be Debian, rock solid and committed to being done the
"right" (entirely open) way, and not the "quick" way. As users gain
experience with Debian-based systems, they will find themselves wanting
more, and they will come to Debian.
You have to sharpen your teeth a little at a time, starting with something
soft, and working up to the solid stuff. Debian is that solid stuff, and
I think that it is best to keep following the same line it always has.
Make it as easy to use as possible, yes. Water it down to make it easier,
no.
-Dustin
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