"would choose NOT to run Debian"

Post #44,629 by a6l6e6x 7/6/02 12:43:59 PM Reply	"would choose NOT to run Debian" A couple of days ago, I tried installing Debian on a machine I put put together from mostly spare parts and failed. I could not make X work because I have a video card that apparently is not supported. It did not recognize the NEC monitor. Also every few seconds it was claiming my timer/clock failed and was being reset. So I gave up and installed the official Red Hat 7.3 "Evaluation" 2-CDs w/o a hitch. All the hardware was recognized. The video card, a Diamond Stealth 2000 3D with 2MB RAM, did not have a long product life and had problems working with earlier version of Red Hat as well, Indeed, the reason it was a "spare" was because I bought a VooDoo 3 card I knew was supported. The CD drive, actually my wife's old CD burner which no longer burns CDs, I think reads OK and the Debian distribution (ver 2.2 rev 6) was on CDs burned by one of the local LUG members. So, there is chance the CDs were not reliably read. Anyway, there are reasons not everyone runs Debian. Alex "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." -- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Post #44,630 by pwhysall 7/6/02 1:04:05 PM Reply	Re: "would choose NOT to run Debian" It'll come back to bite ye. It's widely known and accepted that if Debian has a weak area, it's installation. Once you get the thing on (and it's really not all that bad), Debian basically whips Red Hat in every area. Easier to use. Easier to install software. More software. Better configuration. You can upgrade without nightmares. The kicker: [link\|http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/\|Debian Policy]. As far as I'm aware, no such document exists for any other Linux distribution. Policy is the special sauce that means Debian is better. Not just subjectively better, but objectively better - there's a metric for measuring the "goodness" of a package, and that's to what extent it complies with policy. Red Hat might have the slick installer, but that's no basis to choose a distribution. You're going to spend a day or so with the install. You're going to spend at least months and possibly years with the consequences of that. Yes, there are reasons not everyone runs Debian. They're almost invariably wrong :) Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Blog]
Post #44,704 by static 7/8/02 12:14:59 AM Reply	Might I remind you: something called "First Impressions". e.g. Debian's. Truly Wierd installation is also one reason I didn't persist with Debian. What's that you say? Keeps out the riff-raff? I think it's keeping out more than you might think... Wade. "Ah. One of the difficult questions."
Post #44,711 by kmself 7/8/02 12:56:44 AM Reply	Your loss Points: Ultimately, your problem, not mine. We'll appreciate your holding your criticisms to the install, then. It Really, Truly, Gets Much Better ™. Adventure puts hair on your chest. Peter installs Debian, starts shilling for it. The woman he loves accepts his proposal for marriage. Coincidence? I think not. -- Karsten M. Self [link\|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com\|kmself@ix.netcom.com] [link\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/\|[link\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/\|http://kmself.home.netcom.com/]] What part of "gestalt" don't you understand? [link\|http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/\|TWikIWETHEY] -- an experiment in collective intelligence. Stupidity. Whatever. Keep software free. Oppose the CBDTPA. Kill S.2048 dead. [link\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html\|[link\|http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html\|http://www.eff.org/...a_alert.html]]
Post #44,717 by static 7/8/02 1:27:31 AM Reply	Counter. 1. Primarily, but IMHO Debian is not doing itself any favours by lagging behind with the Installation Routine. 2. I largely do. 3. I'll have to believe you and Peter, though my experiences after two installs were not stellar. (I suspect this may be more telling than mere failed installs, but they are issues we've been over before.) 4. uh... 5. ... now we're over on another plane. :-) Wade. "Ah. One of the difficult questions."
Post #44,638 by wharris2 7/6/02 4:00:39 PM Reply	Re: "would choose NOT to run Debian" I don't know what you did in your message, but it's horked up everything from that one to the end. Famous last RPG quotes: "I'll just shoot this fireball down the dungeon passageway..."
Post #44,653 by a6l6e6x 7/6/02 8:23:19 PM Reply	Moi? Alex "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened." -- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Post #44,733 by drewk 7/8/02 9:23:15 AM Reply	Nope, Peter's "embed" links post === Microsoft offers them the one thing most business people will pay any price for - the ability to say "we had no choice - everyone's doing it that way." -- [link\|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=38978\|Andrew Grygus]

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