[OT] Re: Linux woes (was Re: Learning Squeak)

Simon Michael simon at joyful.com
Thu Jan 24 16:19:19 UTC 2002


Tim,

I'd like to help. Here's a bit of debian advocacy in case you're
interested. No slur intended on other distros, but I consider many of
these linux configuration woes a Solved Problem.

The installation and general out-of-box-experience will not necessarily be
as "pleasant" as other distros at this time. If you chose to explore this
I would be willing to assist you over any hurdles to 1. get a basic setup
running, and 2. work through the quirks of getting your hardware fully
supported (may require building a custom kernel or two, etc.).

Why do this ? With debian the hardest part is up front - then it just
keeps getting better. They have solved the software updating problem, and
because of their organization can scale like noone else. An army of
accountable package maintainers attends to each nook and cranny of the
system. The result is a consistent high level of attention to detail, and
a sense of intelligence at work in the default configurations.

More unsubstantiated claims: it's no bed of roses, but IMHO it sucks a lot
less than the alternatives and will continue to do so. People switch TO
debian but not FROM it.

Ok, end of advocacy, and yes maybe I've laid it on a bit too strong.
Dilute to taste. :) Best regards,

-Simon



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