Re: Distribution Recommendation?

Dan C wrote in <pan.2006.05.21.14.33.57.364473@xxxxxxxxxxx> on Sun, May 21
2006 10:33:

On Sun, 21 May 2006 04:33:22 -0400, Michael B. Trausch wrote:

From the perspective of an end-user, Slackware is kind of like Debian:
for
those in the know, unless you don't have any choice. I used Slackware
for EVERYTHING for a long time, though, nowadays, I'd be more inclined to
use
Slackware for a server, if at all. My preferences these days are Gentoo
for servers, and Kubuntu for desktop systems.

Interesting, as my own experience (and most other Slackers, I thought) is
kind of the opposite. I used other distros (RH, Mandrake mostly) until I
got tired of their problems, and switched to Slackware for everything.
Now I can't imagine wanting to use anything else, and don't expect that I
ever will.

What was it about Slackware that caused you to migrate to Gentoo/Kubuntu?


A few things, really. Mostly, though, it boils down to a difference in the
way that I'm using my computers nowadays. Slackware doesn't have that big
of a package selection, and that's understandable. However, when you want
to get something set up, you don't want to spend hours tracking down
dependencies manually -- you just want the damn thing to work, and be done
with it. If I'm going to add PostgreSQL, PHP, and Apache, I can do that
relatively quickly with Gentoo, tied together or not, as I choose.

Now, of course, Slackware doesn't have one of those package management
systems that will be fscked if you add source-compiled packages to the
system, but it's helpful to just create a Slackware package when you build
something from source so that you can install it elsewhere. In this
regard, it's a strength that Slackware doesn't have a dependency management
system because it creates a low-barrier to entry for creating packages.
However, if you install that package, and it doesn't work becuase of a
dependency issue, then you have to find out what it is (which sometimes is
quite a PITA) and resolve it manually.

Now, I use Kubuntu for my desktop nowadays simply out of preference for the
way it handles things. It "just works", and I want to get things done with
my computer, not spend time tweaking its knobs. It alerts me when there
are new updates available, it was insanely easy to set up on my new laptop,
as well as my desktop machine. Automagically detected everything from the
Wifi to the Winmodem and the video card (and enabled 3D acceleration for
it!). It's just that good. In addition, it has a broad enough selection
of packages to keep me quite happy and not feel like I have to build
anything from source, even in the process of adding software to this to
help me develop web application software and the like. I just add the
software I want from the CLI or the point-and-click package manager
interface, it's done, and then I can use it.

One other reason that I left Slackware was because it was moving, IMHO, way
too slowly. When I install software on a computer, I don't really like to
reinstall the operating system unless I absolutely have to. With
Slackware, upgrading packages was something of an interesting thing --
likewise with upgrading the system. I only ever attempted an upgrade once,
and I found it easier to just either manually upgrade or completely
reinstall the system around my home directory. Here, since new updates are
released regularly, things are incrementally done, when I want them to be
done, and without taking forever or anything like that, and without me
getting in the way of it. That makes me rather happy.

Slackware still has its uses, for me, though. I do plan on using it on one
network-disconnected system that I'm going to be setting up in the
apartment that's going to be managing a few different things within the
apartment itself. I don't care about updates and the like, obviously,
because it's not going to be on the network. The only thing that I need to
have it do for me is burn a backup of the databases to an R/W disk every
week, so that I have the backup in case the HDD decides to take a dump.

Anyway, it's largely just my personal taste, which has changed. I started
with Slackware in 1996, and used it nearly exclusively until late 2003 or
so. I've just changed how I do things, and my priorities have changed from
wanting to sysadmin my box all the time, to just wanting to use it, in the
case of a desktop, and I rather like the tools that Gentoo provides for
their package management, selective dependency generation, and the like. I
find it easier and more time-effective then the "Slackware way" of doing
things. ;-)

- Mike

--
Registered Linux User #417338, machine #325045.

Bad FAT? My hard disk has high cholesterol?
.

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