Debian redefines itself with new release

[deanlinkous]

Great article IMO. Great writing/reporting job if you ask me.


For much of its history, Debian has been the major noncommercial, philosophically free distribution. Now, as Debian developers and users have deserted the distro for Ubuntu, does Debian have a purpose any more? Debian 4.0, which was released this week, represents a collective effort to answer that question. The philosophy behind the release is best summarized on the home page for the Debian on the Desktop subproject, which states, "We will do everything we can to make things very easy for the novice, while allowing the expert to tweak things."

In other words, instead of trying to compete directly with distros like Ubuntu for ease of use, Debian is experimenting with a different approach. While growing aware of the need to work with new users, it is also preserving some of the traditional do-it-yourself approach of free software by giving users the chance to learn more about their operating system should they choose. This philosophy shows in every aspect of Debian 4.0, from its install program to its desktop, software installation, security, and software management.

read more here (http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/04/13/1231226)

[b4k4]

Debian makes the World a better place. It deserves more credit and support from Ubuntu.

[eentonig]

I agree.

Debian is the foundation on which Ubuntu (and other good distro's) has been able to grow. Even if Debian is (and has always been) slowly developping and too strict in it's policies. We still owe our respects to it.

[Adamant1988]

I have to say, I am REALLY enjoying Etch; it really feels like something I would want to run on an enterprise system.

[mips]

... it really feels like something I would want to run on an enterprise system.

Isn't that the whole idea with Debian stable ?

[Adamant1988]

Isn't that the whole idea with Debian stable ?

I've seen some 'stable' releases of distros I wouldn't want running on a production system :P

[mips]

I've seen some 'stable' releases of distros I wouldn't want running on a production system :P

Granted but this is debian stable we are taling about, not other distros.

[Adamant1988]

Granted but this is debian stable we are taling about, not other distros.

It was a compliment of Debian's quality. Is there a reason you're harassing me about it?

[mips]

Is there a reason you're harassing me about it?


Sorry. I will not adress you ever again, promise.

[bwhite82]

Granted but this is debian stable we are taling about, not other distros.

You've just said it all right there. Debian stable. Debian takes their stability standards far beyond other distros which is the reason why it takes them so long to release a new stable distro. More to the point of the topic though, yes, Debian has made some minor changes to accomidate new users, the graphical installer being a prime example of this. But by and large, not many changes were made and this distro will never entirely compliment new users because it's focus is stability and not ease-of-use.

[deanlinkous]

But by and large, lots of changes were made and this distro perfectly compliments new users because it's focus is on stability as well as just enough hand holding for a newbie that truly wants to learn linux. Debian is truly becoming universal, not just geek-universal.....

[MetalMusicAddict]

I gotta say while I love Debian and grow closer and closer to it because of Ubuntu Studio (we're trying to make changes there that trickle down to Ubuntu) I cant use Etch as a desktop system.

For me, I haven't seen a stability difference and find myself just configuring it the same was as I like my Ubuntu. Something I defiantly noticed performance-wise was boot time. Upstart is faster than the old init system.

Now I'm TOTALLY thinking about using it on my server. I just have to save my configs from my Feisty install on the server. Im just unsure. :-k Things work for me fine in Ubuntu so its hard to change. :)

[mojoman]

While it may be true that some Debian developers are now working on Ubuntu I doubt very much that Debian users are switching to Ubuntu in any numbers worth any worries from Debian. People who migrate to Ubuntu do not migrate from Debian, they migrate mainly from Windows. If anything, people migrate from Ubuntu to Debian after having learned the basics of Linux in a very user-friendly distro. Just my two cents.

/mojoman

[plb]

While it may be true that some Debian developers are now working on Ubuntu I doubt very much that Debian users are switching to Ubuntu in any numbers worth any worries from Debian. People who migrate to Ubuntu do not migrate from Debian, they migrate mainly from Windows. If anything, people migrate from Ubuntu to Debian after having learned the basics of Linux in a very user-friendly distro. Just my two cents.

/mojoman

That's not at all true. I came from debian as have a lot of other users. A lot of people just got tired of the distance between releases. Sure, there is the option of running unstable but as the name implies it "can" be unstable. One update can ruin your day. Debian is unbeatable in the server dept. Desktop however is a different story.

[mojoman]

That's not at all true. I came from debian as have a lot of other users. A lot of people just got tired of the distance between releases. Sure, there is the option of running unstable but as the name implies it "can" be unstable. One update can ruin your day. Debian is unbeatable in the server dept. Desktop however is a different story.

I'm sure there are lots of people who migrate from Debian to Ubuntu but I think more people migrate from Ubuntu to Debian but sure, I could be wrong on this one. I use both but I started on Ubuntu. Anyway, you sure got a point that the distance between the releases is something that works against Debian but Etch, which is now stable, was pretty safe and good to use for what, a year before being labeled stable?

/mojoman

[plb]

I'm sure there are lots of people who migrate from Debian to Ubuntu but I think more people migrate from Ubuntu to Debian but sure, I could be wrong on this one. I use both but I started on Ubuntu. Anyway, you sure got a point that the distance between the releases is something that works against Debian but Etch, which is now stable, was pretty safe and good to use for what, a year before being labeled stable?

/mojoman

"testing" is always relatively stable to use. There are some packages however that are lacking in testing.