[CVALE] Debian or Ubuntu...

[Landon Blake]

Thank you for your comments Pandora.

You wrote: " Debian doesn't inspire the kind of nationalist flame that a

keen project like Ubuntu does..."

I'm curious what makes Ubuntu so successful. It seems that it has
created a lot of energy and interest, at least when you compare the
energy around Debian before Ubuntu arrived on the scene. Ubuntu must be
providing something that Debian was not.

I've heard that Ubuntu strives for more regular releases. Is this why
many Linux users prefer it? (I thought it was because Ubuntu made more
of an effort at eye candy, but I just installed Debian Lenny, and I
think it looked just as nice as Ubuntu. Ubuntu has a nicer graphical
installer, but it sure works slowly off of that livecd.)

You wrote: " One may also consider that Ubuntu is controlled by a single
company, if 
not a single person, so despite Ubuntu's vague claim to be communal, 
Debian is the more democratically chosen and peer reviewed
distribution."

Debian rocks! :] (I don't know if I could handle being a Linux user
without it.) I have read that infighting and arguing sometimes slow the
progress on Debian, and that is part of the reason why Ubuntu can put
out more regular releases. Perhaps that is an advantage of having one
organization or person in control. (Isn't that what keeps the Linux
kernel in such good shape?)

On the other hand, I know the harm that can be done when a corporation
steers the decisions on an open source project. I still feel that
volunteer developers are the life blood of any open source project.

On another note, I think that community support plays a major role in
the adoption and use of any Linux distro, at least for users that are
less technically savvy. I know all of my questions, if they are
intelligently written, receive good responses on Debian's user forum. I
did not have that success with Ubuntu. (I must admit the people on
Gentoo's user forum were also very helpful.)

Landon



-----Original Message-----
From: cvale-bounces at lists.fire2wire.com
[mailto:cvale-bounces at lists.fire2wire.com] On Behalf Of Pandora
Sent: Monday, April 23, 2007 6:16 PM
To: cvale at cvale.org
Subject: Re: [CVALE] Debian or Ubuntu...

Landon Blake wrote:
> I was wondering if anyone could share with me the advantages of using
> Ubuntu Linux instead of Debian.

The only real difference between Debian and Ubuntu is one of philosophy.

And I'm not talking release cycle strategy. I'm talking philosophy. 
 From www.ubuntu.com: "Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'Humanity to 
others', or 'I am what I am because of who we all are'. The Ubuntu 
distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the software world."  From 
www.debian.org: "We promise that the Debian system and all its 
components will be free. We will support people who create or use both 
free and non-free works on Debian. We will never make the system require

the use of a non-free component."

So Ubuntu is more communal, Afro-pop sort of hippyish anthrocentrism. 
Debian is free software, as in freedom, and careful promises according 
to the specification. I prefer Debian's philosophy myself, because it 
seems to engender more well designed, freeer programs, and what little 
hardship that comes with it is offset by the fact that it's no-nonsense.

No propaganda or conveniently unquantifiable fuzzy feelings like Ubuntu.

Just free software.

One may also consider that Ubuntu is controlled by a single company, if 
not a single person, so despite Ubuntu's vague claim to be communal, 
Debian is the more democratically chosen and peer reviewed distribution.

Then again Debian doesn't inspire the kind of nationalist flame that a 
keen project like Ubuntu does, so that might result in a loss. No harm 
with them both existing though, as long as I can find good mirrors.

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