From Etch to Edgy?

[JohnTheLutheran]

I currently have Debian Etch installed on my home PC. This is a well-established, settled, mature installation that I'm generally very happy with.

That said, I am increasingly impressed by Ubuntu. So I'd be interested to know what people perceive as the benefits of Ubuntu over Debian for a reasonably experienced user who is happy with installation, setting up multimedia, using Aptitude for regular updates, etc. And who is also happy running Debian Testing (so that the "long release cycle" issue for Debian Stable is not a concern).

This is emphatically *not* about starting a Debian vs Ubuntu flamewar, and I know there are plenty of more general "Debian/Ubuntu" threads on these forums. It is simply dipping my toe in the water to see whether I might have any reasons to make the switch to Ubuntu (not a change I'd currently make lightly). If I were starting out on Linux today, I'd almost certainly choose Ubuntu. But as I'm not, what are the benefits of switching?

[pay]

Well if you already have everything in etch setup the way you want it then I don't see any reason to change, unless if you prefer the Ubuntu community.

[PriceChild]

What has made me never look back is the forums...

180,000 registered users (normally 4 times the number of guests online than registered users) compared to Debian's 7300.

This place is a wealth of information and full of great characters always willing to help. If you ever have a problem, I bet you'll get an answer to almost any problem.

Not just the forums though, its the community which i think separates Ubuntu from Debian, a community which includes (in no order) the forums, wikis, mailing lists, irc channels and more.

Pricey

[matthew]

Well if you already have everything in etch setup the way you want it then I don't see any reason to change, unless if you prefer the Ubuntu community.I agree.

By the way, you are welcome to be a part of our community while remaining a Debian user...

[Kateikyoushi]

If it works why break it ? Also they are too similar I wouldn't consider changing until a I would reinstall.
The forum is indeed really good, one of the main reasons why I choose Ubuntu, and not just the amount of information the search is very effective.

[JohnTheLutheran]

Thanks for the replies, and for the welcome to the forums.

This pretty much confirms my own feeling about the situation. I suppose what prompted my query was reading Mark Shuttleworth's (http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.ubuntu.devel.announce/199) announcement about "Feisty", and being intrigued by his references to "improving init" in Edgy. Made me wonder what improvements there may be "under the bonnet" in Edgy as compared with Debian (XGL?) and whether over time there'd be likely to be a greater divergence which made Ubuntu substantially more attractive.

[matthew]

Made me wonder what improvements there may be "under the bonnet" in Edgy as compared with Debian (XGL?) and whether over time there'd be likely to be a greater divergence which made Ubuntu substantially more attractive.Ahh, okay. I understand now. These wiki pages will give you some of the details you're looking for.

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EdgyEft/Beta
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EdgyEft