Mepis or Ubuntu/Kubuntu?

[xbaez]

MEPIS:
Pros: I would say near 100% Debian compatible, it even uses debian repositories, I really like that. Nice 2.4 and 2.6 kernel support, all the programs work well in Mepis (Wine, Crossover, VMware Workstation - full HD support)
Cons: A one man based distro, there are not many Mepis users, small community. Warren is a genius of Linux but I'd rather be part of a big community.

KUBUNTU:
Pros: Really nice distro, awesome job, it's a whole community behind the distros
Cons: I really dislike the idea of using a distro that does not users Debian repositories. For instance, I searched for "klineak" and I didn't got any result in Synaptic (I enabled all the repositories)

So, I will appreciate any opinions about my post, I'm really undecided. I want to use a Distro that has a good community, and I want to be able to access the Debian repositories, which are HUGE and are the main reason I'm behind Ubuntu/Kubuntu and Mepis

I was using Mepis, but then the new Mepis was released. From what I know, the new Mepis is based on Debian/unstable, and the 2004.06 Mepis was based on Debian/stable. So there wasn't an upgrade option.

From what I read in the Ubuntulinux.org site, this distro is/always be free of charge, based on debian, 6 month release perior, and it offers upgrades between distros.

I read the reviews at linuxquestions.org, and nobody talked bad about Ubuntu.

And I already knew that Ubuntu had some 'extra' repositories just for Ubuntu. But after I instaleld Ubuntu at the office PC, I noticed that it doesn't users the 'Debian' repositories.

Can anybody tell me were can I read about Ubuntu/Kubuntu?
Which distro is it based on?
is it really compatible with the Debian repositories?
that is the main reason I switched to Debian based distros

[benplaut]

well... i think your results will be rather biased... you're asking in Ubuntu Forums :?

[xbaez]

well... i think your results will be rather biased... you're asking in Ubuntu Forums :?
I will also put this post at the Mepis forums, to see how the debate goes on

One thing I know, from all the distros I've tested (believe me, almost all of the big ones), Debian is the one that Iike the most.

But Debian itself, it's impossible to install

[23meg]

here's a very recent and very similar thread you should look into:

http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=32210

[xbaez]

Thank you 23meg

Are you the owner of ubuntuguide.org?

I really find that document usefull ;)

[totalshredder]

Mepis is a great distro, I like its installation method and how it's also a live CD, but what has kept me in the ubuntu world is that mepis just couldn't detect my hardware. So even though it was very nice, I couldn't get the resolution high enough without making my monitor go haywire.

I couldn't care any less about whether ubuntu has the debian repos, the ubuntu ones work just fine for me. I like debian, it's cool and all, but I just want a desktop OS that I don't have to worry about configuring too much.

Time is Money, and Ubuntu is Free All Around ;) (dag that should go in my sig :-D )

Luke

[23meg]

Thank you 23meg

Are you the owner of ubuntuguide.org?

I really find that document usefull ;)
no i'm not; i just point to it in my signature in the hope that it will remind people to take a look at it before asking basic questions. maybe i should remove it if it's taken this way..

[SKLP]

Kubuntu is the better one IMHO, but then again, Ubuntu is A LOT better than Kubuntu :P

[Narzuhl]

I tried Mepis before i went to ubuntu. Mepis would not install on my laptop, it sort of installed on my desktop, but uduntu seemed to install nicer on both. The laptop is now working about 99% (standby is not working correctly but then my acpi is messed up i think)
I did not like the fact that i had to pay for Mepis if i wanted any real support and i was having trouble finding answers to some questions.

As for the repositories, do a search in the forums and there are lots of links you can add to you repository list. I am a noobie with linux and i was able to install both. and i did load some Debian files from their package search site. I
I actualy did add the Debian repository to my sources.list to get clamav and it worked fine. It actualy updated this to the lastest version.
So for me Ubuntu works way better. 100% free and great support in these forums.

Mepis worked ok but you have to pay for the lastest updates and so forth. i understand the guy needs to make money, but donations work to.

The whole reason i am switching to linux is
1 it is way cooler that Windows
2 you can find it for free
3 i am so tired of Windows Bloatware
4 after being a Windows systems admin (new promotion and job now a systems engineer) for 6 years i am bored of it so i need somthing more challenging. :grin:

[xbaez]

I tried Mepis before i went to ubuntu. Mepis would not install on my laptop, it sort of installed on my desktop, but uduntu seemed to install nicer on both. The laptop is now working about 99% (standby is not working correctly but then my acpi is messed up i think)
I did not like the fact that i had to pay for Mepis if i wanted any real support and i was having trouble finding answers to some questions.

As for the repositories, do a search in the forums and there are lots of links you can add to you repository list. I am a noobie with linux and i was able to install both. and i did load some Debian files from their package search site. I
I actualy did add the Debian repository to my sources.list to get clamav and it worked fine. It actualy updated this to the lastest version.
So for me Ubuntu works way better. 100% free and great support in these forums.

Mepis worked ok but you have to pay for the lastest updates and so forth. i understand the guy needs to make money, but donations work to.

The whole reason i am switching to linux is
1 it is way cooler that Windows
2 you can find it for free
3 i am so tired of Windows Bloatware
4 after being a Windows systems admin (new promotion and job now a systems engineer) for 6 years i am bored of it so i need somthing more challenging. :grin:
"More than 65,000 software packages are available to SimplyMEPIS using its package manager. All you need is an internet connection."

This is the thing that I really like about Mepis, all the software that you can download.

But why is the Kubuntu/Ubuntu community much bigger than Mepis?

I was reading the mepis websites, and the SimplyMepis CD appears to continue to be free, there are plans for ProMepis (sounds like enterprise), but if the Simply Mepis continues to be free, I'm done

The only 4 things I really dislike about Mepis
1) small community, I hope that improves with the LQ Mepis Distro category
2) There seems to be disputes between Mepis websites, instead of improving the distro
3) Paralel port not working
4) I still haven't been able to upgrade my kernel with the ease of yum I use in my RHLE3ES server

Regards

Xavier

[Burgundavia]

As for compatibility, most of Ubuntu *is* Debian, just rebuilt for a new environment. Imm. after every Ubuntu release, Ubuntu resyncs to Debian Unstable (sid) to get the latest in Debian. This continues until the upstream version freeze.

If something is in Debian that is not in Ubuntu, it is because it was added to Debian after the Upstream Version Freeze.

Hopefully that answers your question,
Corey

[weekend warrior]

Hello xbaez and welcome :)
I was one of the posters in the thread 23meg pointed out to you so I won't repost what I've already said there but just add a bit more.

First off, Mepis is a nice distro that works well for a number of people. If you choose it you will be well served. That said, you've already noted some disadvantages. It's a one-man operation. Personally I prefer Kanotix over Mepis but it's also a one-man project and for the moment this is enough to keep me here with (K)ubuntu tbh. There's nothing wrong with being a small distro but it has a serious disadvantage - what's going to happen with it in the future? A perfect example is what happened to Patrick Volkerding and Slackware. When he became mysteriously ill, people truly feared for Slackware's future. It's something to consider....

As for compatibility, you may want to search Mepis with regards to apt-get dist-upgrade. You will find Mepis not so compatible with Debian. With Mepis or any other distro that isn't Debian, you'll always run the risk of breaking your box using Debian repos. The only thing 100% compatible is Debian itself or a Debian installer. Ubuntu understood this and set up its own repos. This is one of the benefits of (K)ubuntu, a repository specifically for your distro. If there is something you're looking for that isn't in the repos, there is the Backports Project (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=47) where you can request it. If you still truly need something from the Debian repos, there's a helpful community here to help you with problems you might have.

And it's precisely this community which is the biggest advantage of (K)ubuntu IMHO. It's big, helpful, polite and growing quickly. Things are probably only going to get tougher for Linux as Microsoft understands its growing popularity. Having strong backing and a big community can only help.

Mepis is obviously a good distro, however IMHO it's the community, the backing and the long-term prospects that mark the difference.

HTH

[weekend warrior]

Almost forgot to vote, hehe.... :wink:
TBH the only thing the poll will show you is that you're in the ubuntu forums!


I should add too since I just noticed your parallel port problem that one of the things some of us on here have found with Mepis is less than ideal hardware detection. I had display problems with it. With ubuntu? not a problem :grin:

[Narzuhl]

"More than 65,000 software packages are available to SimplyMEPIS using its package manager. All you need is an internet connection."

This is the thing that I really like about Mepis, all the software that you can download.

But why is the Kubuntu/Ubuntu community much bigger than Mepis?

I was reading the mepis websites, and the SimplyMepis CD appears to continue to be free, there are plans for ProMepis (sounds like enterprise), but if the Simply Mepis continues to be free, I'm done

The only 4 things I really dislike about Mepis
1) small community, I hope that improves with the LQ Mepis Distro category
2) There seems to be disputes between Mepis websites, instead of improving the distro
3) Paralel port not working
4) I still haven't been able to upgrade my kernel with the ease of yum I use in my RHLE3ES server

Regards

Xavier


You sure it is free? Quote from their website 'With a subscription, you'll get early access as new Simply products are being developed. And you'll get to participate more closely in the further development of MEPIS.'
and they waqnt $9.95 for a stamped cd.

[weekend warrior]

Yes (Simply) Mepis is free. There are two versions, Simply Mepis and Pro Mepis. The Pro version until recently was relatively the same with developer tools and different repository lists but it looks like that's changed of late. I understand the subscription gives access to FTPs where the latest updates are and of course allows users to show their support for the project. Warren has more commercial plans in store for Mepis now as can be seen here (http://www.tafusion.com/)

[xbaez]

Yes (Simply) Mepis is free. There are two versions, Simply Mepis and Pro Mepis. The Pro version until recently was relatively the same with developer tools and different repository lists but it looks like that's changed of late. I understand the subscription gives access to FTPs where the latest updates are and of course allows users to show their support for the project. Warren has more commercial plans in store for Mepis now as can be seen here (http://www.tafusion.com/)
Hey Warrior (that persona never reached the WWE, but it's an amazing avatar!!!!) I really appreciate your time helping me. Before you start mentioning it, I read the ENTIRE thread in which you help some guy remain to Ubuntu

This is what I want
1) I want a 100% FREE OS, that I can run at office and at my house. I do have SuSE Professional 9.2 but Debian repositories are HUGE and I really enjoy using it.
2) I want my parallel port to work
3) I want a big community behind the distro
4) I don't want to spend hours recompiling my kernel, I just want to do something like 'apt-get install kernel' or something similar

My Reaons:
1) If the OS will cost, then I prefer to use Window$ were games work. Yeah I hate anti-spyware and such but still Window$ is a fun box. I use LInux because it's free and gives me the chance to work with a 20 GB RAID 1 HD, so I can sync my HD at the office with my server in houston. So I really need Linux, and I want to use it 99% of the time in which I work.
I want to download the packages at my office, and bring them to my house using my USB Memory, so I definitively want the same distro
And I want to find the packages on the repositories, I don't want to be searching for them on the net, solving dependencies... and such. Can I add the debian repositories to Kubuntu/Ubuntu?
What Debian version is Kubuntu 5.04 based on?
2) I hope my parallel port works in Kubuntu, it's a MUST have thing for my house, need to print stuff for the university and such.
3) I love LinuxQuestions and disagree with you warrior. Check this post
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=325454, there are 22.22% of persons that will still go for Ubuntu/Kubuntu, your comment about my poll isn't true
4) What is the 'official way' of installing new kernels in Ubuntu?

OK, bottom line. I was a happy Mepis use. And the new Mepis was released. So I decided to try it, and yes, the apt-get distupgrade (or whatever command it is), wasn't an option
The response I had was "You need to install the new Mepis version, without an upgrade support, because it's based on a different version of Debian). I really didn't like that, so I decided to try Ubuntu because I needed to install a new distro anyway.

I didn't even thought about RPM distros, commercial distros... went straight to Kubuntu. I really liked Kubuntu, except for a mini skull in the installer that indicated me that my RAID was going to be deleted. Anyway, it's me to blame, however, the skull should appear on THE LEFT PART OF THE INSTALLER (how do I make the Ubuntu developer read this?), while the other partitions that were going to be formatted appeared on the RIGHT PART OF THE INSTALLER.

Anyway, in around one day or so I'll end syncing my HD with my server, so it's a lesson for me. Even though I did hated Kubuntu because of that, I re-run the installed and found out that it was my hurry. Anyway, the distro was AWESOME, but there was a big problem. I thought that the Ubuntu repositories were EXTRA REPOSITORIES, FOR SOMETHING ELSE

But now, I found out that there are NO repositories for Debian! I will miss all the excitement of having practically ALL the software on my PC after using synaptic. For instance, I wasn't able to install Eclipse, Net-Beans. Now that I have Mepis 3.3, Eclipse is really easy to install. Net-Beans is not there, so I guess that program is not in the repositories yet.

So I think that if my parallel port works at house, I might end using Kubuntu as my 'official' distro. I read the philosophy, the debian-like free ideas, the 6 month release promise, the big community that's part of it, and I decide to give it a shot.

DOES USING IT'S OWN REPOSITORIES MAKE KUBUNTU BETTER OR WORST THAN MEPIS?
MORE OR LESS COMPATIBLE WITH DEBIAN?

All I want is a distro that's easy to upgrade, and of course, with a lot of packages in it.
I don't like to self-compile stuff, self compile WINE and a KERNEL and you'll end up loosing 2 hours of work. Do that at the office and you just spent 4 hours because the distro you use is not that good.

[poofyhairguy]

This is the thing that I really like about Mepis, all the software that you can download.




Comes down to this for me. On MEPIS, unlike k/ubuntu, it had its sources.list pointed at Debian's servers despite their differences. Even worse, I think its pointed to multiple levels of plain debian. I tried to apt-get dist-upgrade and it broke my install. I know it uses pinning or whatever, but that way still isn't the best option. If MEPIS had its own repo (like Ubuntu does) it would not run into there problems (and could be easily upgraded, and wouldn't have to worry about staying compatible with debian, or what debian to use, etc). Till then, the promise of all those packages isn't quite the same.

[poofyhairguy]

DOES USING IT'S OWN REPOSITORIES MAKE KUBUNTU BETTER OR WORST THAN MEPIS?

Better. Its a big advantage.

Reading your post, I assume you didn't enalbe the universe or the multiverse. There awaits you more packages than Sarge has, and only a little behind Sid. Then you can add hte backports repo and get all the newest stuff. Here is how:

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/HowToAccessTheUniverseRepository/view?searchterm=universe

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/HowToEnableTheMultiverseRepositoryInUbuntu/view?searchterm=multiverse

http://backports.ubuntuforums.org/

There. Almost every package Debian has. But you can dist-upgrade without breakage. Welcome to Ubuntu.



MORE OR LESS COMPATIBLE WITH DEBIAN?


Both are uncompatible with Debian- and they should be its a different thing. Heck, Debian is incompatible with itself (Sid/Sarge/Woody). Its because its different distros.

Its not a big deal. I install debian packages all the time in Ubuntu. Some work (Sid ones usually), and .....well......none haven't.

Mepis is a great distro. But it would be better if its apt-get didn't rely on plain Debian's sources.

[weekend warrior]

Looks like poofyhairguy is doing a good job answering your questions. I can only think of a few more things to add.

My comment on the poll was strictly about the one here, which you can see with only 1 vote for Mepis just shows that we're all ubuntu users and 96.97% happy with it ;-) LinuxQuestions is a more neutral site but remember that many people (especially new nixers from the Win world) are biased against Gnome because it isn't Windows-like and not as flashy so the results will reflect that.

Let us know what you think when you enable universe, multiverse and Backports because as Burgundavia said, ubuntu is basically a snapshot of Debian sid so you should find what you're looking for. If not, poofyhairguy is your friend :) as well as plenty of others on here who install pure deb packages.

Dist upgrades are very much a reality here. Many upgraded directly from warty to hoary and a small number of people are already upgraded to Breezy, the next version. Not to recommend doing that yet of course! but just so you see upgrading without reinstalling is the ideal here, that's what the Ubuntu Upgrade Manager is all about.

I'm not sure what it is you want to do with the kernel but maybe take a look here in the setup howto wiki (http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/SetupHowTos).

I'm also a little unclear on the parallel port. It didn't work with Mepis. Did it work with Kubuntu? Which do you have installed now, Mepis or Kubuntu? if you tell us the hardware you're using we can help more.

Just looking at what you want it seems (K)ubuntu would be the better fit but in the end only you can be the judge. What works better for you is really where you need to focus, and less so on what others have to say about it.

HTH

[weekend warrior]

Oh and thanks for the avatar praise :)

Hate to disappoint but I wasn't aware of the WWE connection. The nic comes from me "wrestling" with Linux mainly over the weekends when I have free time and me getting injured in weekend sports. The image itself is from Civ4 :-\"

I do have a new avatar ready for when I hit 100 posts - only 4 more! I think it's better, hope everyone else does too.

[deception]

I have used Mepis before, and the thing that bugged me was that dist-upgrade was discouraged for the reasons posted above. The latest version felt slow for me also, Although I think because it comes with ipod software etc.. preinstalled, it may help new users get used to the linux way of doing things. My opinion only, of course :)


Ubuntu on the other hand. dist-upgrade works perfect. Nice balance between beginner-friendlyness and experienced-user power. I can never decide between Slack, Ubuntu or Arch though, I like them all :) Which I think is the beauty of linux and also it's annoyance, you have many wonderful distributions, but you can only use one at a time :) (Unless you use virtualisation! )

[poofyhairguy]

Although I think because it comes with ipod software etc.. preinstalled, it may help new users get used to the linux way of doing things.

That is another problem I had with 3.3 Mepis. (an older version) of Gtkpod is installed by default, but its not installed the "debian way" - with a package like Ubuntu does. Its installed by source which means that if you want to upgrade to the newer version in Sid (or uninstall the software) you find you can't. I don't get that to this day.

[xbaez]

WOW
I went to my office today, and brought Kubuntu. I thought 'well let's give it a shot'. I stopped using Mepis at my office because there was the new Mepis version, and an upgrade wasn't possible, so I had to install a new distro anyway. Since I knew that Ubuntu had a good score at LinuxQuestions, I decided to try it.
At first I didn't like the idea of using it's own repositories, but then the Warrior came and answered some of my questions

I still wonder how to install Net-Beans in a fast, easy way :)

Anyway, the installation was very easy, fast, and yeah, my printer worked right of the box!!!

Now I only need to enable my modem (in Mepis this was automatic, which I liked)

I hope that the slmodem.xxxx.deb package would work for me

Thank you guys :)

Xavier

[weekend warrior]

Good to see you tried it :)

I don't use NetBeans so don't know much about it but take a look at these two threads.

Netbeans or Eclipse? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=12761)
It's a poll but seems plenty of people there have it, might be a good place to ask.

[COMO] Desarrollo Java : Sun J2SDK 1.5 + NetBeans 4.0 (http://www.ubuntu-es.org/node/521)
I'm assuming you read Spanish, correct me if I'm wrong. This is for Warty but should be about the same for Hoary.

If that package doesn't work for your modem, tell us what kind you have. A good place to post is in the Networking (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=62) section. With such a big community, there's a good possibility someone here has the same one. A forum search for your modem might turn up an answer.

HTH

[xbaez]

Good to see you tried it :)

I don't use NetBeans so don't know much about it but take a look at these two threads.

Netbeans or Eclipse? (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=12761)
It's a poll but seems plenty of people there have it, might be a good place to ask.

[COMO] Desarrollo Java : Sun J2SDK 1.5 + NetBeans 4.0 (http://www.ubuntu-es.org/node/521)
I'm assuming you read Spanish, correct me if I'm wrong. This is for Warty but should be about the same for Hoary.

If that package doesn't work for your modem, tell us what kind you have. A good place to post is in the Networking (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=62) section. With such a big community, there's a good possibility someone here has the same one. A forum search for your modem might turn up an answer.

HTH
Yeah actually I'm starting to see the benefits of being part of a big community
I found some sl-modemxxx.deb packages, and now my softmodem works perfectly.
Mepis configured it right out of the box, but anyway, I don';t bother installing a few packages of software over a system that actually detects all my hardware that I need (such as the printer)

I still haven't connected to the internet, but I hope to be able to connect to the internet from Kubuntu in my next book (I just found the answer for my problem in this forum)

Changing subjects
I've read so much about Debian's repositories, which are "one of the biggest repositories build by mankind" (don't remember in which forum I read that one). But from my experience with Debian, I don't understand a few things
1) Why do they have three distros? I mean, in Kubuntu, Mepis... they all promote their latest distro all the time. They don't promote it as "unstable" (which really make users avoid that one). Apart from that compiling packages for three distros seems like a huge job. Anyway, from what I know there are up-to-date packages for Woody until know, so if there are up-to-date packages for their 'oldest distro', why do they have three distros?
2) I've read that people from version 4.x of Kubuntu/Ubuntu were able to apt-get upgrade. That's awesome
3) So were can I read about the size of Kubuntu vs. Debian? From what I've read so far, Debian is BIG, but it's a mess (so to speak, only distro in which getting my display to work was impossible), and Kubuntu/Ubuntu is a Debian distro that actually "works", and has all the features as a debian distro, so I shouldn't prefer Debian over Kubuntu.

Thanks for your support guys, I just hope that VMWARE 5 will work at my office with full HD support, and that will be it for me, the 99% perfect linux distro will be in my daily use :)

Regards

Xavier

[xbaez]

I'm happy to post my first post at the kubuntu forums from my Kubuntu distro, connected to the internet after having many questions answered here at these forums.

I read the forums and found out how to connect to the internet :)

So now this distro works perfectly at my house, all I'm eager to try is if VMWARE 5 works in the office, and then the move from Mepis will be totally justified
:)

I still have a day or so to determine which distro is better
one thing is true, both distros are way better than other commercial solutions

[poofyhairguy]

1) Why do they have three distros? I mean, in Kubuntu, Mepis... they all promote their latest distro all the time. They don't promote it as "unstable" (which really make users avoid that one). Apart from that compiling packages for three distros seems like a huge job. Anyway, from what I know there are up-to-date packages for Woody until know, so if there are up-to-date packages for their 'oldest distro', why do they have three distros?


Because Debian takes to long to make and official release for some people (ME!)


2) I've read that people from version 4.x of Kubuntu/Ubuntu were able to apt-get upgrade. That's awesome

Yep. Thats the big advantage over MEPIS.


3) So were can I read about the size of Kubuntu vs. Debian? From what I've read so far, Debian is BIG, but it's a mess (so to speak, only distro in which getting my display to work was impossible), and Kubuntu/Ubuntu is a Debian distro that actually "works", and has all the features as a debian distro, so I shouldn't prefer Debian over Kubuntu.

With the universe enabled, Kubuntu has debian's packages. usually people who prefer Debian:

run servers

or

love doing things the hard way.

[weekend warrior]

To answer the Debian question, the 3 versions can be seen for different types of uses/users.

The oldest "stable" for "mission critical" environments where long tried and tested stability/reliability is most important.

The middle "testing" for more average use, a middle ground between the others.

The latest "unstable" for introducing new packages/development - this is what "unstable" refers to, not unstable like it could crash, but package-version-number-unstable.

Here is the official Debian explanation (http://www.debian.org/releases/).

The feeling is Debian has been to slow to release, which has seen the rise of distros like ubuntu, based on recent snapshots of Debian unstable.

HTH

BTW xbaez, I've been following the LinuxQuestions thread and I don't know if you agree but to me it seems awfully rude there compared to here!

[xbaez]

Weeken warrior thanks for all your support, I have one question though
When I try to build the Nvidia modules, and the VMWare modules (remember, if VMWare Workstation 5 works I'm getting married with this distro ;) ), I need the kernel source
From what I know, I could download the headers, copy the .config file, and doing a "make bzImage".

However I don't feel like doing all of that when the "linux-headres should do that"
However, check this:
/usr/src/linux/Makefile
VERSION = 2
PATCHLEVEL = 6
SUBLEVEL = 10
EXTRAVERSION =
NAME=Woozy Numbat

My "uname -r" is 2.6.10-5-386"
So when I try to build the Nvidia module, it complains, Vmware worked ok

Regards

Xavier

[weekend warrior]

Vmware worked ok
Just to confirm, VMware works now but you have an Nvidia problem. Is that right? I probably won't be much help since I don't have an Nvidia card in my ubuntu box but there should be many here who can help with this.

[xbaez]

Well I haven't installed the nvidia patch yet, but I suppose that I will be able to install if following the Ubuntu Guide

I've been installing CrossOver Office, and currently these applications (which also worked on Mepis) work ok.

OfficeXP (word, excel, powerpoint, with all options)
Dreamweaver MX
Visual Studio 6 (all applications)
Internet Explorer 6

The only thing that I still need to do is see if VMware will boot the entire HD

SO I guess that tomorrow I will finish determining if Kubuntu is better than Mepis (at least in the house laptot, were I am at right now, it definitively is)

If tomorrow Kuntu doesn't loads the VMWare 5 Workstation as expected, I will be REALLY UPSET to leave this distro, I will probably try and try lots of tweaks, but, I am really confident in Kubuntu, best distro I've tested so far.

Anyway, I will still continue using it at the house, so I'd say I'm 50% sure that Kubuntu is the best distro already :)

I just love this community that helps so much

Let's see how it does... :)

[xbaez]

UNBUNTUROCKS.ORG!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is that domain taken yet??

Well it should! ;)

Thanks everybody who helped me here, switching to Kubuntu was the most traumatical (due to the 10 GB RAID HD erase that I did in the installer), and the most impressive switch I ever made.

It's amazing how now I have one same distro at house, and at my office, ALL My hardware is detected, and now I have a OS that is VERY impressive.

Check this out
* VMWARE Workstation 5 works, detects the entire 160 GB hard drive, and the Shared Folders work ok (I can access my RAID partition from Windows, and edit my web pages using DreamWeaver MX 2004. I can also access ALL of Windows programs, and use utilities such as hexeditors for videogames)
* Printer works at my house (paralell port, it might sound like a silly thing, but this is the reason I first wanted to try a new distro at house)
* Only OS that is 100% free, has a HUGE community support, promises a 6 month release, it's puntual, it's GROWING, it's friendly, and at the same time, let's you upgrade your OS. Hopefully this is the end of almost 2 years of downloading every distro that's out there, I'm a happy Kubuntu user.
* Windows applications run great on CrossOver.
Currently these ones work within Kubuntu:
-> Macromedia Dreamweaver MX
-> Microsoft Visual Studio 6
-> Microsoft Office XP
-> Internet Explorer 6
-> I still need to install more applications...
* The "philosophy" behind Kubuntu is great, Linux for humans, nice logo, working distro, Linux that's easy to use, and of course, I like the intentions of the company that works for Kubuntu to be clear.

Bottom line, depending on the hardware, Mepis and Kubuntu are much about the same.
BUT, the things that makes Kubuntu my number #1 "Almost perfect distro" is:
-> Hardware detection
-> Promises 6 month distros, their distros are upgradable
-> Clear intentions stated at their page
-> Nice community
-> Works great at my house and office

Once again, thank you guys

I thought "well let's use this distro for a week or so until I download the 10 GB again from my server, and then switch back to Mepis"
But now I think "Things happen for a distro. I'm gratefull to everybody at this community, now I am a happy Kubuntu user" ;)

Kubunturocks.org ;)

[weekend warrior]

That's great! Have fun :)


BTW Do you like my new avatar or the old one better? It's ok to be honest, I don't mind.

[jonrkc]

I wanted to go with a Debian-based distro for philosophical reasons (emphasis on Open Source). My choice boiled down to Mepis or Ubuntu since I'm not geek enough (geeks are my gods!) to deal with pure Debian on my own.

Well, I tried about five times and could never get Mepis to install. I was also wary of its being basically a one-man operation--or a one-genius operation. I admire its creator no end, but what will happen if he has to abandon the project for some reason? With a community operation there's more of a failsafe atmosphere.

And Ubuntu installed just as easily as the distro I was using before it. So I felt I'd found what I was looking for, and almost two weeks later I feel that way all the more.

[Aliby]

Interesting to note that MEPIS is now NUMBER 3 on the DISTROWATCH list with only a couple of hundred hits behind Mandriva and then another thousand or so to Ubuntu - a hard one to try catch. Never the less it does say that the interest in MEPIS is on the rise. (I have Kubuntu and Mandriva installed on my machines)

[xbaez]

I have a general complain about the Debian based distros, or maybe I'm just doing something wrong

I backed up ALL my /etc/apt, /var/lib/apt and /var/cache/apt directory from the office, to my computer

Then I followed the Ubuntuguide.org, and installed many applications. For instance, w32codecs.

However, when I hit on 'apply changes' (I'm using Synaptic), instead of using the packages from the /var/cache/apt repository, Synaptic downloads them again.

I did typed 'apt-get update', so I suppose that apt-get should be clever enough to install programs from my hard drive instead of downloading many things form the internet again

I mean, I am downloading w32codecs 1:20050216-0.0 right now, when in my /var/apt/cache/archives folder I have the following file:
w32codecs_1%3a20050412-0.0_i386.deb

I mean I even think that the version that I have in my HD is newer that the one that I'm downloading. I think this is happening because I didn't enabled the marillat repositories in my house (I did that at the office, but then Ubuntuguide.org recommended me not to do that, besides I had dependencies problems), this packages was obviously downloaded from Marillat:

Christian Marillat <marillat@debian.org>

So, I will appreciate if you can tell me, which will be the best way to just grab my repository from my office, and have a clean updated system at my house.

I have a limited dial-up account so re-downloading everything is really a problem

Besides that problem, I'd like to say that Kubuntu has really been the best distro so far, I already have Eclipse+java SDK working, plus Dreamweaver MX to write PHP scripts.

Awesome distro, I've been reading the Ubuntu page, which clearly states why is it better than debian, how are the packages selected...

Ubuntu is a real distro, with a big community behind it. Mepis on the other hand is an awesome distro, but it's more like a Debian clone or soemthing like that, with the disadvantage of being incompatible with apt-get upgrade

[Seti]

I used Mepis for some time, and I think its a very good distribution, even if there were a few things about it that bugged me.

1) Installs WAY to many programs, and although the installer asks if you want to install apache or not, even if you choose "no" it installs and starts the service anyway.
2) Apt-get upgrade always seemed to cause trouble somehow.
3) Still using XFree86.

Other than these points, Mepis is incredible. Truly a unique distro with lots of potential. That said, I'm personally happier with Ubuntu.

[aysiu]

I've been bouncing back and forth between the two for a while now. I just successfully set up a tri-boot: Windows XP, Ubuntu, and Mepis. It's OS heaven for me.

[ThePainter]

Hi,
I have tried both a few times each but I have had to settle with Mepis.
They both have pro's and cons but in the end I prefered Kubuntu but my Turboprint Printer driver wouldnt work in Kubuntu so I have had to return to Mepis.

Ill be back for another attempt next version.

[xbaez]

Hi,
I have tried both a few times each but I have had to settle with Mepis.
They both have pro's and cons but in the end I prefered Kubuntu but my Turboprint Printer driver wouldnt work in Kubuntu so I have had to return to Mepis.

Ill be back for another attempt next version.
Yeah I guess that in bottom line:
Debian is not a top of the line distro, but it's rock solid

Mepis and Ubuntu are the BEST distros anywhere, they are free, fun, and stable

I think that Mandrivia, Suse and even Fedora lack the stability of these 2 distros.
It all depends on hardware detection at the end (that's why I'm with Ubuntu), and the support you have.

One thing I like about Ubuntu is the support, it's awesome ;)

Mepis and Ubuntu were the only 2 distros were all of these things worked:

CrossOver Office 3
CrossOver Office 4
Macromedia Drewamweaver MX
MIcrosoft Visual Studio 6
Internet Explorer 6
Cedega 4.2 (I've played a few games, really cool)
VMware 5 (without virtual harddrives, this one detects my entire 140 GB D: drive, I am able to run Window$ from Linux. Fedora, Mandrivia, and Suse - latest versions - didn't worked with this)

And apart from this, Ubuntu is the only distro in which the LaserJet 4L printer worked fine (Mandrivia worked with it as well)

So from my point of view, this two:
Mepis and Ubuntu

are BY FAR the best distros in town ;)

I guess that's a congrats for the Debian, Ubuntu and Mepis team for these distros