On Thursday 27 January 2005 04:27 pm, Bart Garst kindly wrote:
> On Thu, 2005-01-27 at 14:52, Siri Amrit Kaur wrote:
> > You can give priority to the Ubuntu repositories, then have
> > apt-get look at Debian repositories only if you want a package
> > that Ubuntu doesn't have. It looks pretty easy to do:
> >
> > http://justlinux.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=137521
>
> I don't want to start a distro war, I merely would like an
> explanation.
>
> If ubuntu is based on debian, and requires debian repositories to
> complete the updates, why use ubuntu (or mephis, or knoppix, or
> ...) in the first place? Why not just use debian?

I think that if someone is experienced with Linux and has enough time, 
Debian is probably superior in some ways to the live-cd offshoots of 
Debian. Debian is great! Thinking about it from an InstallFest 
viewpoint, though, the purpose of an InstallFest is to get a workable 
Linux installed on a computer that probably will be used by someone 
with little-to-no Linux experience. 

The live-cd's like SimplyMepis and PCLOS come with preconfigured 
browser plugins (Debian doesn't), automatic hardware detection for 
many devices (like USB thumbdrives) automatic network and 
connectivity setup, user-friendly configuration tools, and greatly 
simplified installation procedures. I don't know if Ubuntu has all of 
these, but it uses Gnome and has a very pleasant user interface. It 
would be easier on systems with less RAM. With these distros you can 
typically get a functional system up in about 30 minutes, and the 
client goes home with a distro that has more user-friendly 
configuration tools than Debian has.

I installed Mepis last summer on a friend's box in Albuquerque. She 
had never used Linux before, but was sick of the problems she was 
experiencing with WinXP. She did not want to become a Linux expert, 
she just wanted a more secure O/S for browsing the internet, getting 
her email, and using an Office suite. I gave her a copy of 
"Point-and-Click Linux" and she's as happy as a pig in mud. To my 
knowledge, she has never done an upgrade or dist-upgrade. She has 
never added another package to her system, because she already has 
more than she ever had with Windows. I think she is typical of the 
common client at an InstallFest.

This is just my opinion.

Siri Amrit
>
> I've no experience with ubuntu or mephis. I have used knoppix from
> a live cd.
>
> Like I said, I'm not looking to upset anyone, I just hope someone
> can explain it for me.
>
> Thanks,
> Bart
>
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