Re: Choosing a distribution (was: Just a simple query)
On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:04:02 -0300, francis picabia wrote:
>
>> On Wed, Oct 26, 2011 at 6:03 PM, Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>>> The problem with most "reviews" is they base it on a fresh install and
>>>> Desktop set up.
>>>>
>>>> Living with a distro is often far different than a fresh install.
>>>
>>> (...)
>>>
>>> Sure, but when you are a beginner that sort of things are not the most
>>> important ones. You start thinking more deeply in what a distribution
>>> can provide once you have a little more background with linux, which
>>> can be one year or two later...
>>
>> Respectfully, I must disagree. This is like buying a car based on how
>> comfortable the interior is, regardless of the prior performance of this
>> make and brand for longevity and cost of ownership. The big picture
>> will matter, even to a novice, and possibly moreso as they will be stuck
>> trying to figure out how to migrate to the next version of whatever
>> whereas in Debian it is upgraded in situ (for a major version release
>> upgrade) and documented.
>
> Maybe you think that because you see openSUSE as a "transient" step to
> finally reach Debian but it is not: openSUSE is powerful enough to fit
> any requirements, from the most basic to the most advanced usage so it
> can be used as a start point to get the user introduced into the Linux
> world as well as a final point, to use it on clusters and HPC systems.
I think you read something into that which wasn't stated. I never
mentioned openSUSE. Maybe confused with the other part of this
thread?
My point is that many reviews go by how slick the graphics are in the
installer and the desktop once installed, but this counts for very
little in the overall worth of the particular distro. Yet, neophytes to
Linux often go by reviews, or bandwagons.
> (needless to say you can also perform "in-situ" upgrades in openSUSE) ;-)
Really? Everything I've seen says it is not supported. However
I don't use Suse so I wouldn't be on top of the latest here.
I am talking about major upgrades, like 11 to 12, not 11.3 to 11.4.
In Debian, the system can stay up and we don't boot from
medium to perform a major upgrade. In Debian it requires
only a quick couple of reboots to load the newer kernel, etc.
> I dropped openSUSE in favor of Debian just because they (openSUSE)
> reduced the security patches support period from 24 to 18 months. This
> wouldn't have been a problem if I were a home user that only has one
> computer to attend, but as an admin I need to manage servers and
> workstations and having to update every 18 months all the machines is not
> something I can support.
That is pretty much like the Fedora life cycle. Yuck.
Another thing that would make me hesitant is the future
of Suse. A distro which is owned by someone new
every few years comes with some uncertainty.
>> However, if it isn't for production purposes, as I said, then anything
>> will do. Get your feet wet. Get a soaker. Running various distros is
>> the best way to understand what people are talking about when they say
>> things about the package selection and management in Debian. It's like
>> travel, it broadens the mind. Then you go back to the favorite place and
>> live there.
>
> Testing other distributions can be a true headache for first time linux
> users... I -having using linux boxes since 2003- had to accustomed to the
> Debian-way system and still costs me a bit to get used to it (and I'm
> using Debian since 2009!).
I've seen comments on many mailing lists and forums of people who
went through a series of distros, say any three of gentoo, ubuntu,
slackware, fedora, debian, cent os, mint, before settling on one they preferred.
These where often users straight from Windows.
Personally, it took me several years and a second visit to using
Debian before it became my preferred distro.
It can also be a question of documentation, bug handling, user community,
etc. All of those things you only know by trying it out and doing "immersion".
When I got into Linux in 1996, searching for help in Alta Vista on Linux
was always returning info on Redhat, so this became my choice.
Today, it is nearly the opposite - Redhat information is barely out there.
Community support and documentation is a major factor in my view.
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