Which other distro is a strong challenge to Ubuntu?

[Martial-law]

Hey guys,


It seems that Ubuntu has risen to the leading position in the Linux world today. There are many distros which are Ubuntu based now and Ubuntu itself has the most Linux users. Previous leading distros like Red Hat, now Fedora, SUSE, Mandriva and others are way behind Ubuntu. In fact Ubuntu has become the Linux standard. Now I would like to know your opinion as to which other distro or distros pose a strong challenge to Ubuntu today in the Linux world? Which other distro/distros are as strong as Ubuntu in their influence in the Linux world and have as strong a userbase as Ubuntu? :popcorn:

[daynah]

None! If any others rise in popularity, they all help Ubuntu, at this point, because it means more advertising for Linux. We're a long way off before we start picking at each other.

[jrusso2]

PcLinuxOS, Open Suse, and Linux Mint.

[Fixman]

Well, he biggest problem with Ubuntu if you compare it to other distributions is the ugly artwork it has.

[hellmet]

I've talked about this before, but, I think one problem with ubuntu is the 6 month cycle. Just doesn't give enough time for the release to become stable.
(Please don't extend this discussion, I already have a thread on this. I know the reasons.) Nevertheless, I love ubuntu because it brings freshness to the computing world.

[rsambuca]

I've talked about this before, but, I think one problem with ubuntu is the 6 month cycle. Just doesn't give enough time for the release to become stable.
(Please don't extend this discussion, I already have a thread on this. I know the reasons.)

Wow, don't you just love it when a person makes an opinion based statement but then immediately tells you not to respond:)

[Kingsley]

There is no strong challenge. We're one big, happy, hippie family.

[Vitamin-Carrot]

IM RESPONDING IM RESPONDING!!!!

It doesnt matter as said before they all help each other while they are different in taste the goal is ultimatly the same.

I R LINUX
I R HERE TO STAY!
ALL YOUR USER ARE BELONG TO ME!!!

[rsambuca]

I've talked about this before, but, I think one problem with ubuntu is the 6 month cycle. Just doesn't give enough time for the release to become stable.
(Please don't extend this discussion, I already have a thread on this. I know the reasons.) Nevertheless, I love ubuntu because it brings freshness to the computing world.

And frankly, if you aren't happy with the release schedule, then you probably should be using Debian Etch.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[buntunub]

This is not some popularity contest. Each Linux Distro stands on its own merits, and each has its own following whom it strives to please. You have to figure out what your specific needs are, then determine which Distro serves them best. If you like GNOME centric Distro's, Ubuntu and Fedora are probably the best, If you like KDE, then PCLos and Sabayon are amazing. If you like xfce, then Xubuntu is good, if rather bloated, zenwalk is awesome, and so is Goblin and Wolvix. If you like Flux, then Fluxbuntu is simply amazing, and DSL is good too. For small and lightweight and blazing fast try Puppylinux and also DSL and Arch, Vector. For what I would term "other", you have Elive and gOS (e17), and then you have specialties such as Geexbox, Firewalls, and recovery Distros such as GpartedOS. Then, there are hobbyist distros such as Gentoo and Slackware for the Geek at heart. Then, there is also distros with different package managers like Conary, or even weirder things like Gobolinux with its own seperate file structure. Everything under the sun there, so pick your poison and go with it.

[HermanAB]

It all boils down to quality assurance more than anything else. Mandriva was the leader for many years, until its quality control went south and people abandoned it in droves in favour of Fedora. The first few Ubuntu releases were very good, so people moved en masse to it. The last two releases of Mandriva are in my opinion better quality than Ubuntu and Mandriva is seeing an upsurge again, but users have long memories and don't like jumping around too much.

[daynah]

And frankly, if you aren't happy with the release schedule, then you probably should be using Debian Etch.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Amen. All Ubuntu is is Debian UNSTABLE with some more unstable and beta piled on it. The releases we call "stable" are the balance we, the Ubunteros, find between cutting edge technology, and slitting wrists stupidity.

[Phil Airtime]

Fedora is a good distro; I've had a play with version 8 (test edition) and while it's still a little rough around the edges in a few minor places (no indication of size or time remaining on package downloads!) it gets the balance between the big corporate backing of Red Hat and the real community-based input just about right. I'll certainly re-evaluate it when the final version 8 comes out, but it'll take something special to prise me away from my beloved Feisty Fawn!

Competition between Linux distros is healthy, but there isn't a best distro, only the distro that's right for each user. Anything that drives people to Linux as a whole is good for all of us.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Well I feel PClinux is a good challenger, as its got a great team behind it.
Mandriva if it could fix its bugs can also give it a run for the money, 2008 is the best version of it I have seen in a while.
Debian is also a good contender, despite it being a bit harder to set up once its running it runs quite well.

[Phil Airtime]

The biggest issue I have with Fedora is the Codec Buddy, which asks for money for various audio and video codecs from an external provider. I live outside the US and can legally use these codecs for free; there should be an alternative.

[Dragonbite]

The one to "replace" Ubuntu is the one that fills the gap or hole that Ubuntu leaves behind.

It could be any of the existing distributions, or a completely fresh and new one.

Wasn't Ubuntu found only about 3-4 years ago? Red Hat is still around after how long? SuSE is still available and backed by who? With so much going on in the computer world these days, anything can happen.

For me, though, it will be whichever distro does what I want it to do.

[svtfmook]

PcLinuxOS, Open Suse, and Linux Mint.
isn't mint ubuntu?

[-grubby]

isn't mint ubuntu?

mint is a different distro in its own right and is only based off of Ubuntu

[sp0onman]

if i wasn't using ubuntu i think i'd be on fedora core.i have it installed but never touched it because with my new job i dont have time to do anything.

[Incense]

Can't we all just get along? I don't think it should be a distro war. It's all about choice and what you need to get out of your distro. I don't think anyone should ever feel the need to challenge Ubuntu, or feel threatened by them. It's all Linux, and we should be on the same team.

[-grubby]

Can't we all just get along? I don't think it should be a distro war. It's all about choice and what you need to get out of your distro. I don't think anyone should ever feel the need to challenge Ubuntu, or feel threatened by them. It's all Linux, and we should be on the same team.

Maybe we should change the focus of this thread. Instead of it's current focus how about predictions on what distro would overtake Ubuntu as the # 1 distro if Ubuntu fell (I.E.funding stopped or something)

[Dimitriid]

Im thinking that if they decided to cut the middle man and base off debian, Mint could easily overthrow Ubuntu.

[Incense]

Maybe we should change the focus of this thread. Instead of it's current focus how about predictions on what distro would overtake Ubuntu as the # 1 distro if Ubuntu fell (I.E.funding stopped or something)

Cheers!

I think Debian would take over. There is some amazing work still going in to Ubuntu's daddy. That or OpenSUSE. Novell does a pretty decent job, and it's been around for quite a while.

[rsambuca]

Im thinking that if they decided to cut the middle man and base off debian, Mint could easily overthrow Ubuntu.

I don't think they could do that at present - they are using the Ubuntu repos. If they went straight from Debian, they would have to somehow bring in a development team to stabilize Sid to get the latest packages, etc. They don't have the manpower.

[Perpetual]

I like Mandriva 2008 but the community I think is lacking more than the Distribution is.

I used Fedora 8 Rawhide and Beta RC3, I like it but got tired of trying to get things working and not getting any work done. Java was a pain in the butt but finally got it working.

Linux Mint is nice but I would just assume stick with Ubuntu and customize it a bit to make it look as 'nice' as Mint.

PCLOS, I dunno, still holding a grudge there due to moderator issues within the forums.

I liked what I saw from Simply Mepis 7.0 Beta 6 but 1. I am not a big fan of kde anymore and 2. I couldn't get wireless to work. With so many distros (all above) working out of the box with my wireless, I don't have any desire to use one that doesn't work, or hack it to make it work.

OpenSuSE, tried 10.3 RC1 and it doesn't like my ATI card, so gave up on that one. Suse was my first Linux experience and since have found others that I liked better.

That's about all that I have really spent any time with in the last couple months. I am back with Gutsy...more due to all of you fine people than anything else.

[Sain]

Only OpenSUSE is close enough IMHO.

OpenSuse is only linux distro other than Ubuntu that's aiming at average users. It comes with easy proprietary driver and codec installation, automatic printer install, and it has very nice desktop and artwork (something that Ubuntu really misses)

However, it has not-so-nice package manager and some shortcomings in other departments, so I think it'll take some time until it catches up with Ubuntu.

[bruce89]

Debian unstable is very nice, but as its name suggests, it's unstable. Mind you, that makes Ubuntu unstable too.

[Casual Fan]

Havng just come to Linux after 11 years on Windows, I can say I also tried Xandros and Suse in the past 5 years. Ubuntu seems to work better than either of those "out of the box" except for the darn ATI suspend problem.

[ssam]

PcLinuxOS, Open Suse, and Linux Mint.

PCwho?? i better go and look them up on distrowatch to see what they are all about.

[rykel]

With more technical problems such as hardcore freezes, no sound, inability to detect the correct screen resolution etc. appearing after each release, Ubuntu might not be the only game in town soon... Dapper was wonderful, Edgy was crazy, Feisty no comments (never tried it) and now Gutsy with the headaches I listed above... seems like only Heron (?) can help Ubuntu stay at the leading edge. (ie. LTS)

[bruce89]

With more technical problems such as hardcore freezes, no sound, inability to detect the correct screen resolution etc.

Funny Gutsy is the only one that got the right screen resolution here.

Never had any freezes that weren't my fault, maybe because I don't use Firefox.

[rykel]

Funny Gutsy is the only one that got the right screen resolution here.

Never had any freezes that weren't my fault, maybe because I don't use Firefox.

In my case, Gutsy was one that did NOT get my resolution right no matter what I did... UNTIL I did something yesterday (massive installation of files from Synaptic which I did not keep track, including installing Ubuntu Studio etc.) and freezes occur during the simple act of downloading. :(

[Incense]

I like Mandriva 2008 but the community I think is lacking more than the Distribution is.

I really think this is the one thing that every other distro lacks, is the Ubuntu Community. Even though I use openSUSE on my main machine, I come here because the community is amazing, and you just don't get that in the SUSE forums. Mandriva and SUSE are both fantastic distros, better then Ubuntu IMO, but the community keeps the distro strong. I'm really hopeful for the next LTS. Dapper is amazing. Anyway, my point is, the distro that will challenge Ubuntu, is the one that manages to steal away the community.

[SomeGuyDude]

Who knows? In another year or so, maybe OpenSUSE will take over. Maybe Xandros will finally get its act together and not look like Windows 95. Ubuntu was almost worthless to me when I first tinkered with Linux, but now it's the only one I'm gonna use.

One of the interesting things is that since it's open source, then popularity seems to indicate merit, as opposed to simple market manipulation. Although momentum plays a big role, and while five years ago when Linux was almost entirely within its own circles popularity meant the group liked it, now when you search "linux" Ubuntu is the first distribution that shows up (after the main page and Wikipedia).

EDIT: Another thought. It seems like people's experiences are so wildly different, I wonder if the "winner" won't be the "best" one, but merely the one that is compatible with the most systems. People rave about SUSE, but it was a nightmare for me. Nothing worked. Gutsy worked "out of the box", so to speak. Some above are having the opposite problem.

I'd also say that now that Dell is shipping with Ubuntu installed, that's going to sway things a bit.

[rsambuca]

Debian unstable is very nice, but as its name suggests, it's unstable. Mind you, that makes Ubuntu unstable too.

You realize there is a big difference here though. Debian unstable continues to keep adding the newer packages, where as ubuntu takes a snapshot of the unstable repos and works on them for six months, so at least in theory, ubuntu should be more stable than Debian Sid.

[koleoptero]

I agree with most of you, the community here is the main reason ubuntu is better than the others. I tried opensuse, ubuntu and kubuntu, and managed to make mu adsl modem to work only on ubuntu, and the reason is not that it worked out of the box (it didn't), but that I found a decent tutorial on how to get it working that took about 5 minutes to carry out.

So, I'm sticking with ubuntu due to the community. If there was no community I'd probably prefer opensuse cause -honestly- it looks too damn good.

[songshu]

Debian unstable is very nice, but as its name suggests, it's unstable. Mind you, that makes Ubuntu unstable too.

it is indeed, if you look at the help section in this forum you see why debian calls it just that.

[songshu]

You realize there is a big difference here though. Debian unstable continues to keep adding the newer packages, where as ubuntu takes a snapshot of the unstable repos and works on them for six months, so at least in theory, ubuntu should be more stable than Debian Sid.

true, if a package is in unstable for 6 months without any bugs it moves to testing, if all the packages in testing finally work nicely together they make a snapshot and call it stable..

ubuntu is just a pre-view of what debian stable will become

[Blutack]

I did fall in love with PCLinuxOS for a bit until trying to install apache ripped out half my system from dependencies(!?). I used OpenSUSE 10.1 and the package manager wouldn't work at all. I'm trying Arch - pacman is great, faster than apt by miles, but I like things to just work, I'm halfway through configuring and thinking screw it. Basically package management is the reason I stick with ubuntu despite it being slow and ugly, cos slow and ugly is easier to change. Now if arch did a live cd WITH gnome/kde/xfce...maybe some basic autoconfig thing...

[hellmet]

Lol.. Sorry I won't listen to your advice . :P I love ubuntu too much to give it up.. :D

[bruce89]

You realize there is a big difference here though. Debian unstable continues to keep adding the newer packages, where as ubuntu takes a snapshot of the unstable repos and works on them for six months, so at least in theory, ubuntu should be more stable than Debian Sid.

So much for theories.


it is indeed, if you look at the help section in this forum you see why debian calls it just that.
I was going to do a dist-upgrade of the desktop to unstable. Testing seems a bit old.