Re: Choosing a distribution (was: Just a simple query)
On Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:41:46 -0300, francis picabia wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 10:10 AM, Camaleón <noelamac@gmail.com> wrote:
(...)
>> 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?
Well, this whole thread is about Debian and openSUSE so I was comparing
them.
> 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.
Having the possibility of managing the system from a GUI is important for
newcomers (it was crucial for me who was used to windows...). What the IT
press and blogger reviewers show can be sometimes biased and I guess
that's one of the reasons the OP is asking for feedback here, where
"real" users lie.
>> (needless to say you can also perform "in-situ" upgrades in openSUSE)
>> ;-)
>
> Really? Everything I've seen says it is not supported.
Yes, really. It is docummented at their wiki:
http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:System_upgrade
And I personally did it on one of my systems (from 11.3 → 11.4), it
worked nice.
> 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.
For such "big jumps" the official supported method is using the DVD (off-
line upgrade) but AFAIK, it is the same here in Debian, only "one jump"
is supported which does not mean that you cannot upgrade from Debian 4 to
Debian 6, but like openSUSE, that scenario is noy "oficially" supported,
but still you can do it if you want :-)
> 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.
The same remains true for openSUSE, as I said, since newer versions
(IIRC, 11.3 onwards).
>> 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.
Not quite. Fedora support cycle is even more limited (13 months!).
> 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.
That's always a risk, true. But now SuSE is a stand-alone business, no
more part of Novell but a self-managed project of Attachmate.
>> 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.
Yes, that's the most usual path that linux users take but I'd say not for
the newbies ones.
> Personally, it took me several years and a second visit to using Debian
> before it became my preferred distro.
I had no compelling reasons for make the change from openSUSE to Debian
(true is that I like openSUSE) but their support cycle change. But now
I'm fine here, I mean, if openSUSE would back to a 24 month of relase
support cycle I would think more than twice before turning back ;-)
> 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".
Sure. openSUSE docs are not like Debian's one, that's for sure and they
have less packages precompiled and ready to be installed, that's also
true but they also have a knowledgeable user community and a nice
infrastructure for developers and community users.
> 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.
True! In the last days I've read a couple of comments from different
users stating "I was a Redhat user but I won't come back!"... I wonder
why O:-)
Greetings,
--
Camaleón
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