[Ilugc] Debian installation
- From: prabhu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Prabhu Ramachandran)
- Date: Sat, 29 May 2004 13:12:55 +0530
"SRS" == Suresh Ramasubramanian <linux@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
SRS> Suriya Narayanan M S wrote:
>> You needn't say anything about people using it. If you have a
>> set of proper features which you think are good in your clean
>> distros you might state them (like Ganesh wrote about emacs
>> [1]).
SRS> Well, easier to start on what I don't like about debian -
SRS> 1. debconf, resulting in config files named something
SRS> completely
SRS> different than the default from the tarball, placed in
SRS> different directories etc.
Standardization. You might not like it, but some of us find
consistency useful. Besides, the Debian policy is very clear on what
should go where so users can't complain that they don't know where
things are installed. dpkg -L package-name is also useful.
SRS> 2. running daemons from inetd
Whats the problem with that?
SRS> 3. extremely long release cycle between stable / testing /
SRS> unstable so
SRS> that the disadvantages of running antique software sometimes
SRS> tend to outweigh the advantages of having something supposed
SRS> to be very stable [cf: outdated exim 3 in debian stable /
SRS> testing, where just about nobody else in the world uses exim
SRS> 3, and have more or less forgotten to configure it]
Use unstable or source installs.
SRS> 4. a package management system that makes users so hopelessly
SRS> reliant on
SRS> it that quite a few of them are literally scared of compiling
SRS> their own code instead of hunting for debian packages for it.
SRS> Again in the case of exim - lost count of the number of
SRS> people who turn up saying "they can't upgrade because there
SRS> is no exim 4 package for debian stable" (there's a backport
SRS> by Andreas Metzler, that's a different thing ...)
Hmm, so you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. Debian has
such good package management that folks are scared to compile their
own packages for fear that their packages won't be as good. They
expect quality. Lots of tarballs are inconsistent, install things in
places that are non-standard, use different installers, builders and
whatnot. This is a problem with having a lot of choice. In any case,
the statement is true of other distros too. There surely are a lot of
people who expect RPMs for all software and are scared stiff of
compiling their own packages (and justifiably so). FWIW, I have over
40 packages compiled from source and installed on Debian stable boxen
I manage. So I atleast have one case where the reverse is true. Its
not like Debian policy forces you not to install packages from source.
prabhu
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