Debian and Ubuntu ... What am I missing?

[FilledVoid]

Hi all,
Ive noticed quite a few Ubuntu users on this forum but I definitely havent seen many Debian (the distro) users or posts. What am I missing. I originally thought that it might be because Ubuntu is some better optimized version of Debian till I heard other opinions. please tell me more about the distro. Ive checked out distrowatch.com and I see the latest release is Sid and it says Unstable. So Im guessing I should naturally stay away from it.

Tell me the Pro and Cons of Debian / Ubuntu
Just advantages and disadvantages will help me think about trying Debian. I ahve modest hardware to try this on. the configuration is on this board itself in one of my Ubuntu Threads . ill post it if required.

Thanks

[vish786]

Debain has more stable packages but they are old enough with less frequent updation whereas Ubuntu has more unstable/beta packages which are very rapidly updated(with stable ones too) & Ubuntu has numerous dedicated packages for it when compared to debain.

[mehulved]

One reason is that many people have a misconception that Debian is too hard to use.
Secondly, Debian doesn't come with all those idiot friendly stuff out of the box, like ubuntu does.
Thirdly, debian is seen by many as a huge distro cos when people go to download they see 3 DVD's in all.
Then debian did not have pretty GUI installer till recently, their installer had too many options that newbies felt a bit difficult.
Also, the perception of it being a server distro has hurt it's userbase.
Finally, the fact that stable release is quite outdated and unstable release scares new users.
And another point you're missing is that Debian has very good user base but we just don't have that kind of people on digit who'd use it.

[faraaz]

Debian is also more DIY-focused whereas Ubuntu has ready made solutions for most problems. The forums of course, are pure gold. You have ready made community made tools for a bunch of things (automated wifi driver install comes to mind). Also, way before the launch of VBox 1.5, you had tuts for Seamless Integration of Windows with Ubuntu which was pretty awesome....you would have had to do this yourself in Debian...

To be honest, I only use Ubuntu for 2 reasons:

1) Ubuntu Forums...
2) APT-GET

8)

After seeing mehul's post I am forced to add...often, Idiot-Proof is GOOD!

[Faun]

Originally Posted by faraaz

1) Ubuntu Forums...
2) APT-GET

yeah the community is what drives ubuntu, u hav some request the next version will hav it implemented.

Updates are frequent.

[mehulved]

sid is updated much faster
apt-get came in debian first.

[MetalheadGautham]

as to the choice between the two, let the n00bish take ubuntu and the geeky take debian.

debian should never be your first linux. trust me on this one.

[mehulved]

really?

[MetalheadGautham]

for complete n00bs, this DIY of debian is just too overwhelming. always go from easy to medium to difficult.

I suggest OpenSuSE and Ubuntu as excellent starters.

[Faun]

i started with FC 3
used it for programming only.

Then PCLinux OS, entertainment pckage.

Lastly its ubuntu, programming + entertainmnet + good support

[FilledVoid]

Debian has more stable packages but they are old enough with less frequent updation whereas Ubuntu has more unstable/beta packages which are very rapidly updated(with stable ones too) & Ubuntu has numerous dedicated packages for it when compared to debain.

So I would be correct when I say Ubuntu is a refinement of Debian. I thought that Debian had more packages that Ubuntu though?

Secondly, Debian doesn't come with all those idiot friendly stuff out of the box, like Ubuntu does.
Thirdly, Debian is seen by many as a huge distro cos when people go to download they see 3 DVD's in all.

Would that mean I wouldn't have to use the internet as much as I do now for an Ubuntu DVD AMD64 install?

as to the choice between the two, let the n00bish take ubuntu and the geeky take debian.

Was your bad experience due to hardware incompatibility, software applications etc?

Fedora Core

I have tried to get Fedora Core installed on one of my old systems like 10s of times and I hence threw away the CD somewhere and tried Mandrake as my first distro (didnt use it long enough though).

[praka123]

I am using Debian Sid/lenny for the past 7 months or so.daily updates of latest packages hit asap and will be ur choice to apt-get update or not.I feel Debian is more better and easy for me I dont like the customization esp in Gnome done in Ubuntu.also Debian got dedicated 3rd party repositories with near equivalent quality packages.while most of the ubuntu only packages is also available with debian-utnubu project
Debian is more refined and easy for me.while Debian Etch contains old versions with security fixes.veryvery good for a server/mission-critical system.
while Debian Lenny(testing) or Sid are containing most latest packages for eg:My Sid runs on GNOME-2.20-2.
u can refer http://wiki.debian.org for some info.
while Ubuntu,knoppix,mepis and many other distros are just derivatives of Debian.it is one of the oldest distribution out here.
Also Debian stands high with DFSG(Debian software guidelines).their community,the dedication!.

[FilledVoid]

Maybe I might try out Debian one of these days. Ill probably wait until Sid goes through testing though.

[praka123]

as u may be knowing sid will be sid always! better try apt-pinning Lenny with Sid.try debian wiki!

[vish786]

So I would be correct when I say Ubuntu is a refinement of Debian. I thought that Debian had more packages that Ubuntu though?

Ubuntu is refinement of its own older versions technically.

Would that mean I wouldn't have to use the internet as much as I do now for an Ubuntu DVD AMD64 install?

sort of yes. (after installation of those 3 debain dvds, but again it depends wat u want.)

[faraaz]

And you would obviously have to update your programs...like for example you dont get the newer Compiz plugins unless you upgrade your install...

[Tech_Wiz]

Before Ubuntu I worked on Debian. I simply LOVED IT. One of major reasons I went to Ubuntu 7.10 because Generic NV driver of ETCH didnt had any support for my 8600 GT. So no GUI. Also I had no net connection to ease things off. So I went for Ubuntu which is Debian based and has latest nVidia 3D drivers built in. Also the feel of using Debian stays with Ubuntu as Core things are THE same.

Debian Based Systems >>>>Redhat + Slackware + etc etc [Tries almost all]

.deb roxx

[faraaz]

^^ +1...

[FilledVoid]

Well Ive been thinking about Debian but something tells me Ill need to download alot of updates to get it to work to the point I need. So I'm holding off till the next updated release . But now I just got FC8 with LinuxForYou and Im thinking of trying it