Installfest Distros (was Re: Adding Debian Repositories to U…

Siri Amrit Kaur wrote:
> 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

I think that Siri makes some very good points here.
I'm more of a RH/FC user myself, but hey, I also *like* vi, so what do I
know? ;) (Ok, I learned vi out of necessity on HP-UX, so I've become
accustomed to it)

I think it's great that upcoming distros are making serious inroads into
making the Linux experience more idiot (oops, I mean user,) friendly, in
addition to hardware friendly. This is a good, no, it's a great thing.

Our biggest hurdle at InstallFests, as I see it, is to embrace these new
distros with learned advisors. Who's used and installed them? Not me,
yet. I'll be there to watch at least, and get some practice!

I'm interested to hear what some senior pluggers (e.g. Alex, Dennis, 
Alan, hans) think about this.
-- 
-Eric 'shubes'
"There is no such thing as the People;
  it is a collectivist myth.
  There are only individual citizens
  with individual wills
  and individual purposes."
-William E. Simon (1927-2000),
     Secretary of the Treasury (1974-1977)
  "A Time For Truth" (1978), pg. 237

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