What Makes Debian One of the Most Popular Distros Out There: 5 Good Reasons

Debian is one of the oldest and most popular distributions among the Linux users. There are probably hundreds of distributions which are based on Debian, or others which are based on distributions which in turn are based on Debian. Although I'm not a Debian developer, I use it for over two years or so, and slowly got to love this OS.

This is not a 'Debian is better than X' article, it's just about Debian alone. So, let's proceed and see what makes Debian so popular and loved among the Linux users.

Stability. I know as a Debian or Ubuntu (or why not, some other distribution) user you probably heard this a million times. But yes, stability. Debian is renowned for the fact that its 'stable' version is always released only if all known critical bugs have been fixed and it's been stripped from most of the ones with a lower priority. When you install Debian stable you have the certitude that it will not give you a headache, that it is secure and that all the tools and daemons will work the right way. There is a reason for which Debian is used by so many web hosting companies as their preferred Linux distribution for their servers.

Huge community. From a user's point of view, especially a tech-oriented one, having enough persons from which at least one will know the answer is a blessing. There are the Debian mailing lists, the IRC channels (both the official OFTC one and the Freenode one), the forums. And why not say it, UbuntuForums.org does a great job too in helping Debian. How's that?, you may ask. Well, Ubuntu is so popular and used by so many people that on the online forums you can get a straight, good answer to a question in minutes. And since Ubuntu is based on Debian, over 90% of the questions which apply for Ubuntu will apply for Debian too.

Good documentation. I'm talking here books and books of official online documentation. We have the Debian Wiki, we have powerful manuals written by professionals, and to list some, here are the New Maintainers' Guide, the Debian Policy Manual or the Debian Packing Manual.To say nothing about all the third-party help sites, news sites, blogs and articles referring to Debian. This makes Debian a very rich-documented distribution, and knowing help is out there if you do a little reading is a key aspect for any user.

Debian Free Software Guidelines. The social contract is a major aspect which affected how Debian developed and continues to be developed. Debian is one of the distributions which follow a very specific code from which there is no straying. Debian will always be 100% free, it will be open, it will fulfill the community needs and it will respect the free software standards.

Debian fits perfectly both as desktop or as web server. With high security and stability standards, Debian makes the perfect fit for a web server. But Debian comes with over 17,000 from which a huge amount is made by GUI applications, desktop environments and many other user-friendly tools.

And the list goes on. The true power of Debian lies not only in the few points I listed here, but in its users and mentality. Software done this way will always be there, because it relies on an entire community to survive, and as long as the community is there, then so is Debian. A proof to this is that Debian has been around almost since the beginning of Linux, in 1993, when Ian Murdock, founder of Debian, announced the availability of Debian on August 16, and together with Slackware or Red Hat, it is at the top of the pyramid regarding tradition in the Linux world.Source URL: https://ashesgarrett.blogspot.com/search/label/essay
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7 Reasons to Use Debian

1. Stable
Any application needs time to be used and tested enough time in order to make it stable. One of the greatest goals of Debian is stability. It's released when it's ready and applications included in the repositories have enough time to be tested through.

2. Debian offers stable, old stable, testing, *and* sid
Why should this be an advantage? First, because there is a stable release, which will fit both desktops and servers. Since Debian stable releases happen rarely, software can get a little old. So any can get to choose 'testing', which is tagged that way because applications are tested more but they are still usable. Sid is bleeding edge, which means applications get in usually as soon as they are released, so you get the newest software only by installing a testing weekly snapshot and upgrading. Considering the stable and old stable offer software which has been tested and stripped for critical bugs, testing usually proves to be the perfect alternative for a user who wants to use up-to-date tools and applications, which include the latest features.

3. The DFSG
Maybe this doesn't say much just when you see it, but Debian has been around since 1993 and it still is as it was. Although the social contract changed a little over the years, it still retained it's originality. It's open, it's free, it follows the GPL entirely, it respects the community needs.

4. Debian is one of the oldest distributions
Although this doesn't necessarily make you wise, take a look at Debian: it's been up for over 15 years and there are a lot of distributions out there who take and eventually expand Debian's work, take Ubuntu or DSL for example.

5. Very rich documenation
Except for the official documentation, there are hundreds of respectable websites which provide Debian tutorials and general documentation. There is usually no problem which can't be solved in Debian or at least which hasn't somewhere an answer.

6. Many distributions are based on Debian
Debian offers a solid base and a powerful system of managing software. Distributions like Ubuntu and DSL use the APT packaging system, which was invented by Debian for easier management of installed software. In turn, everything user-friendly or useful from Ubuntu will get eventually into Debian.

7. Great community
Being one of the oldest distributions out there, Debian has a strong community. Take the IRC channels, both on Freenode and OFTC, take all the Debian-dedicated forums or the mailing lists, consider that there are gurus out there who worked with Debian for years and they will usually offer support and share knowledge.
Source URL: https://ashesgarrett.blogspot.com/search/label/essay
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7 Reasons to Pick Ubuntu and When Not to Choose It

Today I was not in the mood for testing applications and making some review, and although the new Flock 2.0 would deserve my attention, I think I'll cover it tomorrow. So instead of a review or a tutorial, I decided to write something more like a lecture, so you won't need any technical knowledge to read it. Surfing on the web got me an idea: how about an article to pick up a Linux distribution? And, to be more precise, what about an article to explain why Ubuntu or Debian? Since these are also the only two distributions I'm familiar with, here I am, writing this.

I guess most of the readers are already familiar with Ubuntu, but I'm also writing this for new users, which use Linux for the first time. I use Debian for over a year now, but I used both Ubuntu and Kubuntu in the past (especially Dapper Drake and Edgy Eft) and also 8.04 and 8.10 Beta.

To be a little off-topic: regarding Kubuntu, I remember there was a time when I really appreciated this distribution, back in the 6.06 'Dapper Drake' days. And although I'm a KDE user and fan, I don't recommend Kubuntu for those who want a KDE-based distribution: with no disregard to the developers, my personal opinion is that Kubuntu (at least 8.04 with KDE 3.5.9) is the worst choice. Packages taken from Debian have exactly the same bugs which were already filed against them on bugs.debian.org, additions to applications are awefully done, and despite all the talking (including the conference from about two years ago when Mark Shuttleworth said they will focus more on KDE), Kubuntu receives next to no attention lately. But that's just my opinion, maybe yours differs. However, I recommend using Debian Lenny if you want a stable KDE 3.5.9. I'll look forward to see how Kubuntu 8.10 with KDE 4.1 will behave, although something tells me I shouldn't even bother.

Back to our topic. Why pick Ubuntu and when to pick it?

Well, first of all, the already classic, well-known characteristics which define Ubuntu:

1. It has a release cycle of 6 months, the version numbering having the form YEAR.MONTH_NUMBER (8.10 'Intrepid Ibex' is the next version which will be released in the end of October - 8 stands for the year, 2008, while 10 stands for the month number)
2. It's one of the most user-friendly distributions out there; most of the applications are already configured to work out of the box
3. Each release is bleeding-edge and pretty stable
4. It has a great hardware detection system and usually you won't have to install any other drivers after a complete installation
5. It comes with desktop effects enabled by default on Intel graphics card; if you have a powerful nVIDIA you'll have to install the driver graphically, very easy
6. Ubuntu uses the powerful packaging system used by Debian: APT (Advanced Packaging Tool), which is very powerful and easy to use, either using a GUI frontend like Synaptic or via command-line
7. You can enable only the repositories containing free software, or you can use third-party repositories like Medibuntu.org, which include closed-source, patented software too

If you want a different desktop environment than GNOME, I recommend Debian (or some other distribution, I heard SuSE is very good with KDE, Fedora both KDE and GNOME). I think packages in Ubuntu other than the ones which come installed by default sometimes have nasty unfixed bugs. Not once I saw an application which doesn't even start, and not because of some misconfiguration, but because it wasn't even tested well enough to see how it behaves in different situations.

If you want a stable server, I think it's best to go with the LTS - Long Term Release, Dapper or Hardy are both fit, but you can choose Debian too, which is famous for releasing well-tested software.Source URL: https://ashesgarrett.blogspot.com/search/label/essay
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My First Linux Encounter or How to Switch to Linux

I was a Windows user for several years when I decided to switch to Linux, late 2005 or early 2006, I can't recall exactly. I remember that on Windows I was always looking for freeware alternatives to all the paid applications. At the time, I was not aware of the terms 'open-source' or 'free software', and I definitely had no idea about the concepts behind them. On Windows I considered myself a 'power user', I knew my way around and could complete almost any task in Windows XP easily. I kept searching until I bumped into Linux and decided to give it a try.

First it was Red Hat 9 for a couple of days, but I had problems with it at network recognition, and so I discovered Ubuntu. After about one month of dual booting with Windows XP I finally made up my mind and wiped it out, leaving the entire hard disk for a freshly, brand new Ubuntu 5.10. Breezy was practically my first Linux distribution.

I knew when I started that the transition will be tough for me; things are done differently on Linux compared to the way they are done in Windows. And it's pretty hard to get unused with a way of doing things which I used for over six years. But what made me stick to Linux and never return, what kept me getting used to all the new stuff and a new, different way of doing things, was the pure fact that I knew Linux will be different and I must put effort into learning it. I understood that I'll have to learn most of the things again and I was prepared to do it. From the beginning, Linux offered me flexibility and free choice, with no fear of using the software or sharing it using BitTorrent or Direct Connect, for example. And the result is now awesome: I'm a happily and passionate Linux user for three years now, and I'd never go back. I can't imagine going back and leave all this behind.

I think one of the main reasons most of the people try Linux and go back to Windows is that they aren't determined to make the switch, and they can't conceive that there are other ways of doing things than the Windows methods. If something is done differently on Linux, they quickly jump to a conclusion that goes like 'This is not right, on Windows it's done the other way around. Then it's no good.' Or the eternal and already 'legendary' syntax, which Linux users are tired and bored of hearing, 'On Windows everything is easier.' Well, I usually smile now whenever I hear it or read it. Once a person gets used to something, it's harder to do it the other way around afterwards, especially if he is not truly determined to do it or at least give it a good try. Unfortunately a big percentage of Windows users who try Linux reach the conclusion that 'it doesn't work', so they go back.

The 'easier' concept is so relative, and why do I think that? Well, to give a simple example: I got used to rip FLAC files using the flac and oggenc command line tools and I also have several small Bash scripts to ease my work. For me, this method is the easiest and fastest, although there are plenty graphical applications out there for doing this task. Or any other.

I agree, when I first started there were many things which I didn't understand and which I felt that were not right. Believe it or not, it didn't seem logical to me that Linux allows two files with the names, for example, Music and music in the same directory. Was that because it really wasn't logical? Or because I was used from Windows with not having two files with the same name, where the names actually aren't case-sensitive? So no, it was because I was used that way from Windows. Or, to give another example: the lack of Apply buttons in GNOME applications. I just felt like the options were not applied if I didn't have that Apply button there. But I knew it's different, and I embraced it. I kept reading forums and articles, and many tutorials; I started to love what I was learning, the whole development method and the community.

Most Windows users expect the change to be fast and smooth: they expect to find in Linux a similar OS with Windows in every aspect; it's a well-known issue. When they find out it's not like that, all is over.

Windows and mainly closed-source applications drive to a strange mentality. I remember a thread on the Battle for Wesnoth forums, a TBS game for Linux, Windows and Mac, licensed under the GPL, about some guy selling the game on CDs on eBay. Believe it or not, the guy was highly criticised by several users posting in that thread, saying that he should ask for permission or that it's illegal. But still, the game is under the GPL, which means he was allowed to sell it without any legal issues.

I remember I had this friend, pretty techy guy, who decided to switch to Linux. He was pretty determined, so I installed Kubuntu for him and tried to help him and explain the best way I could how to solve his problems on Linux. He was open-minded - I remember he tried to make Alpha Centauri work a whole night, with no intention on giving up. Whenever I could, I tried to help him; and he took my advices and sticked to Linux for a while. Well, eventually, he gave up in the end. Maybe I didn't try enough, or maybe he depended too much on Windows, I'm not sure. The thing is, if I would have tried harder, he would have probably ended up using Linux today.

As a conclusion, I think there's no big chance for a person to switch, unless he truly wants it. Windows users need either good determination for switching, or eventually help from someone who has already been there and knows how to make a convert for the wonderful world of Linux.

Note: This is a later, revised version of the article which I originally posted here.

Updated: Sep 15, 2008
Source URL: https://ashesgarrett.blogspot.com/search/label/essay
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