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Sun, 07 Mar 2004
Why Debian (also why Linux)
Keith and Rick from the BIGeeks, this one's for you...
Periodically, (that is, every time I talk to someone about linux), I end up recommending that they look at Debian. I tend to focus on the technical aspects of Debian -- the quality of the packages and the ease with which the can be upgraded. Manoj Srivasta has written an explanation of why you should choose Linux, and why that Linux should be Debian.
He explains the technical stuff way better than I do, and he also shows how some of that stuff is a result of the kind of community that Debian is.
So, my new answer is: "What Manoj said".
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2 Comments |
Debian is my preferred Linux distro as well, but it has traditionally been a pain in the ass to
(a) get crypto packages installed if you're in the US (this may be a historical defect, I haven't installed a recent debian)
(b) use "non-free" software, where "non-free" means "free, but not compatible with the GPL"
The whole apt system is excellent though. If it wasn't GPL'ed, I think Apple would've used it.. a shame really, because unix-style software distribution on OS X is a pretty painful process if you don't know precisely what you're doing.. and most people don't. Fink doesn't count.
Posted by Bob Ippolito at Sun Mar 7 18:23:18 2004
(a) get crypto packages installed if you're in the US (this may be a historical defect, I haven't installed a recent debian)
(b) use "non-free" software, where "non-free" means "free, but not compatible with the GPL"
The whole apt system is excellent though. If it wasn't GPL'ed, I think Apple would've used it.. a shame really, because unix-style software distribution on OS X is a pretty painful process if you don't know precisely what you're doing.. and most people don't. Fink doesn't count.
Posted by Bob Ippolito at Sun Mar 7 18:23:18 2004
Bob Ippolito is mistaken. Non-free is for software that doesn't meet the Debian Free Software Guidelines. These are the same as Open Source Definition. There is software which is GPL incompatible that meets the DFSG and is included in Debian. A typical example would be the old-style BSD License with the advertising clause.
The DFSG is not a weakness, it is one of the reasons that Debian is so great. I could write loads about why I think this is, maybe another time.
The crypto front has been fixed, it was never really a problem anyway, you just have to include the non-US lines in your /etc/apt/sources.list. If anybody has to take the blame it must be the Government of the USA, not Debian.
Posted by Edward Betts at Mon Mar 8 11:38:45 2004
The DFSG is not a weakness, it is one of the reasons that Debian is so great. I could write loads about why I think this is, maybe another time.
The crypto front has been fixed, it was never really a problem anyway, you just have to include the non-US lines in your /etc/apt/sources.list. If anybody has to take the blame it must be the Government of the USA, not Debian.
Posted by Edward Betts at Mon Mar 8 11:38:45 2004
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