Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (r0a) Quick Tour

linuxbeta writes "At OSDir there's a tour of the fixed Debian GNU/Linux 3.1 (r0a) release. After 3 years we finally get to have a look at the new Debian, including their new installer. Release notes. Only occasionally does this new release differ from Ubuntu."

Re:Why use Linux?

[agraupe]

Because I don't like paying for software, yet I don't really want to warez everything. Linux is a programmer's system, as far as I am concerned, so it makes sense that there are more Free programs for it. For games, I still use windows. For me, it is always the best tool for the job which gets used.

Debian should have died long ago

[killercoder]

It used to be Debian was the distro you used when you wanted a minimal system with guarenteed security patches. It was the "reliable" server distro.

In the last 5 years the distro's availabile have expanded. Want a reliable server? - use Suse, want the latest and greatest of everything? - use Gentoo. Want a nice stable reliable desktop - use Ubutu.

What exactly does this new release of Debian offer besides retro-linux creds?

Re:ubuntu...

[zootm]

Ubuntu is just... I suppose "non-geek friendly" is about as succint as you can put it. It's Linux that's genuinely trying to make the whole system easier to use, and it's genuinely trying not to talk down to its users at the same time.

For a prospect of a widely-accepted "desktop Linux" distribution, it's not perfect (or complete) yet, but it's got a hell of a lot more potential than anything else I've seen.

Re:Why 3.1

[phoenix.bam!]

The version was supposed to be 4. No one changed the version and finally it because too late to make a big change (And books were printed using the 3.1 testing version number I think it was) So that is now the number of the offical release.

Re:Graphical Interface looks horrible

[antrik]

> Why is Debian so behind the ball on this? Sure, its target market might not be desktop users, but it will never gain *any* marketshare in that area with that horrible installer and the GUI that looks like shit.

Actually, it would do Debian better if they stopped *trying* to get market share like this. Debian is becoming more and more a technology platform, with actual end user distributions provided by third parties like Ubuntu. Sadly, most Debian developers do not want to accept that new role, and instead are considering some changes that would cut the real strengths of Debian. (Without fulfilling the hope that it becomes a viable end user system after all.)

As for looks, I prefer the old-fashioned text based Installer over all the graphical ones. It's a matter of taste, nothing else.

Alternatively

[Renegrade]

If I recall correctly, in expert mode the installer will ask if you wish to configure manually instead of DHCP-ing prior to actually doing any configuration. Might be a little easier than the disable_dhcp parameter.

(Personally I have a dhcp3 server running on the network, handing out IPs based on MAC addresses, so my machines get configured fully in that DHCP step, including correct hostname, unless I've changed the network card and failed to update the records)

Re:Why ubuntu

[John Nowak]

It's just like anything else. If you say something enough, people start to believe it. People keep saying that Ubuntu is better than Debian for most desktop users, and hence, more and more people think it is. Truth be told, I think Debian stable, which is rock solid, is a much better choice than Ubuntu in many cases. While Ubuntu flips out on my family's old Pentium II box (installer goes mad, took an hour to sort out), Debian stable installs just fine. That's just how it goes really. One day, someone decided that it is easier if iChat and Mail were integrated. Personally, I think it is usually useless to have Mail tell me if the sender is currently on iChat, and I think it is very annoying that buddy additions to iChat always end up in my address book. Apple delcared it the way to go however, and now everyone else is doing it too. Bloody annoying if you ask me...

Re:debian has somewhat caught up... for now

[word_virus]

I can't see how Debian is going to keep up the rapid pace of Ubuntu releases at this rate. Now, now, let's not get cocky. I like Ubuntu also, in fact I've been using it exclusivly for the last 7-8 months and I really appreciate all the little desktop tweaks that Ubuntu provides, but without the hard work of hundreds of Debian developers, Ubuntu wouldn't be the joy it is to work with day to day.

Re:ubuntu... mhh.

[Cochonou]

Let me disagree slightly with Ubuntu being "non-geek friendly". Granted, its installer was easier, and there are little tweaks to make the system more usable (some aren't particularly effective as that, like the butchering of spatial nautilus in hoary hedgedhog). And of course, was more up to date. So I used to recommand it to people without broadband, that couldn't pull debian testing from the net.
However, in "non-geek friendlyness", there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made. Most of the configuration helpers are the default gnome ones, and they aren't too great. In particular category, Mandrake is bells and whistles above Ubuntu. Even if it cannot claim the polish that debian-based distros are characterized with.

Re:Universe repo

[gnalle]

The packages in ubuntu universe are not being maintained. Many packages have missing files. (Take the erlang library needed by wings3d as an example).

The Ubuntu guys are doing great work, but I am considering to switch back to Sarge. My only grudge is that the when Sarge becomes outdated, then Etch will not have security updates.