Which distro ?

Hi,
 After years of being a redhat (hatred) fan, and then moving
to suse,
I feel the need to make another distro change...

As always in the pre distroy change period, one is required
to think about 
what the wish list.

Wants:
=================
I want to be able to get any package and install it and run
it without too 
many hassles - which means the distro has up to date
repositaries.

I want to be able to install and use any codec, so any video
sucked of 
youtube, or kids Cd will play just fine. Eric Raymond summed
up this codec 
thing in his article on Fedorra:
http://www.redhat.com/archives/rhl-devel-l
ist/2006-March/msg01286.html
(and on that post, many electrons were consumed debating the
point)

I want to spend my time using the box to produce sellable
product, or 
using the box to watch video. Spending hours maintaining it
is "tiresome".
Thus, the gentoo forum article
http
://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-313315.html
was interesting, and not a good look for gentoo.

=================

Debian?
 Or is that Deviant? I have no desire to spend oodles of
time managing my 
system  so it works ok. Spending time managing the box is
expensive. You 
see, if the box did not need management - I can write code
that earns 
money. And with money - I can buy next years
newer/faster/bigger quad cpu 
monster..

Suse:
 - similar issues perhaps to Fedorra - updates did cause
problems on 10.0, 
10.1. I run 64 bit boxes, and suse does not seem to handle
this well.


Derek.
-- 
Derek Smithies Ph.D.
IndraNet Technologies Ltd.
Email: derekindranet.co.nz
ph +64 3 365 6485
Web: http://www.indr
anet-technologies.com/

debian, ubuntu or fedora. No M$ worries, and up to date. TBH
it really doesn't matter which of the main players you use.
The tools you'll be using are available for all of them.

fyi we use debian, gentoo, fedora 6 and CentOS at work. Each
to their own, and the variety does make for more robust
release scripts.

Steve


On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:50:36 +1300 (NZDT)
Derek Smithies <derekindranet.co.nz> wrote:

> Hi,
>  After years of being a redhat (hatred) fan, and then
moving to suse,
> I feel the need to make another distro change...
> 
> As always in the pre distroy change period, one is
required to think about 
> what the wish list.
> 
> Wants:
> =================
> I want to be able to get any package and install it and
run it without too 
> many hassles - which means the distro has up to date
repositaries.
> 
> I want to be able to install and use any codec, so any
video sucked of 
> youtube, or kids Cd will play just fine. Eric Raymond
summed up this codec 
> thing in his article on Fedorra:
> http://www.redhat.com/archives/rhl-devel-l
ist/2006-March/msg01286.html
> (and on that post, many electrons were consumed
debating the point)
> 
> I want to spend my time using the box to produce
sellable product, or 
> using the box to watch video. Spending hours
maintaining it is "tiresome".
> Thus, the gentoo forum article
> http
://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-313315.html
> was interesting, and not a good look for gentoo.
> 
> =================
> 
> Debian?
>  Or is that Deviant? I have no desire to spend oodles
of time managing my 
> system  so it works ok. Spending time managing the box
is expensive. You 
> see, if the box did not need management - I can write
code that earns 
> money. And with money - I can buy next years
newer/faster/bigger quad cpu 
> monster..
> 
> Suse:
>  - similar issues perhaps to Fedorra - updates did
cause problems on 10.0, 
> 10.1. I run 64 bit boxes, and suse does not seem to
handle this well.
> 
> 
> Derek.
> -- 
> Derek Smithies Ph.D.
> IndraNet Technologies Ltd.
> Email: derekindranet.co.nz
> ph +64 3 365 6485
> Web: http://www.indr
anet-technologies.com/

On Monday 05 March 2007 1:50 pm, Derek Smithies wrote:
> Hi,
>  After years of being a redhat (hatred) fan, and then
moving to suse,
> I feel the need to make another distro change...
>
I have stuck with Gentoo for our headless server but the
other 3 linux boxes 
at home have all gone back to Mepis (after trying SuSE for a
while and 
finding it very slow at boot time because it wanted to check
repositories 
which were sometimes unavailable).

I think Mepis meets all of your requirements. Certainly
meets mine.

Rob

> Hi,
>  After years of being a redhat (hatred) fan, and then
moving to suse,
> I feel the need to make another distro change...
>
> As always in the pre distroy change period, one is
required to think about
> what the wish list.
>
> Wants:
> =================
> I want to be able to get any package and install it and
run it without too
> many hassles - which means the distro has up to date
repositaries.
>

This is hard to achieve on an ongoing basis. Try Arch,
gentoo, freebsd if
you want up to date package repositories.


> I want to be able to install and use any codec, so any
video sucked of
> youtube, or kids Cd will play just fine. Eric Raymond
summed up this codec
> thing in his article on Fedorra:
> http://www.redhat.com/archives/rhl-devel-l
ist/2006-March/msg01286.html
> (and on that post, many electrons were consumed
debating the point)


gentoo does fulfil your codec wish, but apparently mepis
does too. From
what i hear mepis is ubuntu with:

a. out of the box codecs
b. KDE instead of gnome
c. some of its own quite good config tools.

>
> I want to spend my time using the box to produce
sellable product, or
> using the box to watch video. Spending hours
maintaining it is "tiresome".
> Thus, the gentoo forum article
> http
://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-313315.html
> was interesting, and not a good look for gentoo.
>

A little old, I hear things have got better. For  a quick
preview, try
sabayon (live dvd/cd with installer, gentoo system, nicely
polished
precompiled system.)

Sorry I keep coming back to gentoo freebsd and arch, with
maybe mepis
(although I fear it's ubuntu repositories are getting too
old for your "up
to date repositories" requirement.)

On Mon, 05 Mar 2007, Derek Smithies wrote:
> Thus, the gentoo forum article
> http
://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-313315.html
> was interesting, and not a good look for gentoo.

"PostPosted: Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:35 am"

Two years ago!! That's now totally out of date.

A Gentoo binary install off the install disk, and an emerge
of the extra 
packages you need is not exactly a time consuming or brain
numbing exercise.

Sabayon is a Gentoo reimplementation which takes the
principle to an 
art-form:-
http://www.sabayonlinux.
org/

--
CS

On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:51:35 +1300
Christopher Sawtell <csawtellparadise.net.nz> wrote:

> 
> Sabayon is a Gentoo reimplementation which takes the
principle to an 
> art-form:-
> http://www.sabayonlinux.
org/
> 
> --
> CS
> 
> 
Personally, I found it to be a complete pile of poo. Mind
you, if people cut up sheep and call it art... (:

Steve

My $120.00's worth.


MANDRIVA 2007

I'm starting to like Mandriva 2007 more and more now that
I've got all 
the repositaries set up.

Out of the box it was a pig.  If you don't know about PLF
then you may 
as well pack up shop and go home...

It did like my wifi card, but so far I haven't been able to
make sense 
out of bluetooth.  I've got the driver working, I think, but
none of the 
applications.

As it comes from the Redhat farm, you're going to find the
move from 
Fedorra easier.

I can't speak for the video codec side of things but I'm
happy to do a 
bit of testing if you want to converse.

DEBIAN FARM

This farm means learning about a new package management
system - apt.

I liked playing about with Mepis.  Of the current Debian
assortment I 
liked this one the best so far.

However it didn't like my wifi card on my laptop which is
why I ended up 
with MDV2007 on this machine.

Ubuntu is something you can just keep as far as I'm
concerned (sorry 
Rik) my experience with it has done nothing to thrill me.

Debian Sarge - there is a growing number of debian geeks on
list and it 
will continue to grow this year as it's what I'm pushing in
to the LES 
class and other places.

No idea what the video support is like, but this is an issue
that Neil 
and I have been playing with more and more recently.

Derek I'm with you on this support thingo...  personally I
find 
maintenance quickest when you've got the best bunch of
people to help 
out.  So what ever the most vocal list members are using is
often best?


Cheers Don


Derek Smithies wrote:
> Hi,
>  After years of being a redhat (hatred) fan, and then
moving to suse,
> I feel the need to make another distro change...
> 
> As always in the pre distroy change period, one is
required to think about 
> what the wish list.
> 
> Wants:
> =================
> I want to be able to get any package and install it and
run it without too 
> many hassles - which means the distro has up to date
repositaries.
> 
> I want to be able to install and use any codec, so any
video sucked of 
> youtube, or kids Cd will play just fine. Eric Raymond
summed up this codec 
> thing in his article on Fedorra:
> http://www.redhat.com/archives/rhl-devel-l
ist/2006-March/msg01286.html
> (and on that post, many electrons were consumed
debating the point)
> 
> I want to spend my time using the box to produce
sellable product, or 
> using the box to watch video. Spending hours
maintaining it is "tiresome".
> Thus, the gentoo forum article
> http
://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-313315.html
> was interesting, and not a good look for gentoo.
> 
> =================
> 
> Debian?
>  Or is that Deviant? I have no desire to spend oodles
of time managing my 
> system  so it works ok. Spending time managing the box
is expensive. You 
> see, if the box did not need management - I can write
code that earns 
> money. And with money - I can buy next years
newer/faster/bigger quad cpu 
> monster..
> 
> Suse:
>  - similar issues perhaps to Fedorra - updates did
cause problems on 10.0, 
> 10.1. I run 64 bit boxes, and suse does not seem to
handle this well.
> 
> 
> Derek.

-- 
Don Gould
www.thinkdesignprint.co.nz - www.tcn.bowenvale.co.nz - 
www.bowenvale.co.nz - www.hearingbooks.co.nz -
www.crra.org.nz - 
www.justhelicopters.co.nz - www.buxtonsquare.co.nz - 
skype:ThinkDesignPrint?add - Good ideas: 
www.solarking.co.nz

Don Gould wrote:
> My $120.00's worth.
> 
> MANDRIVA 2007
> 
> ..so far I haven't been able to make sense 
> out of bluetooth.  I've got the driver working, I
think, but none of the 
> applications.

Ditto. Anyone care to run a klug nite on bluetooth?

I've had one liveCD test success, however - kubuntu.

> Ubuntu is something you can just keep as far as I'm
concerned (sorry 
> Rik) my experience with it has done nothing to thrill
me.

That is the point. - Vanilla functionality, less toy. 

> Debian Sarge - there is a growing number of debian
geeks on list and it 
> will continue to grow this year as it's what I'm
pushing in to the LES 
> class and other places.

See above comment re 'what works'; also, 'knowing what you
are talking 
about'.

> Derek I'm with you on this support thingo... 
personally I find 
> maintenance quickest when you've got the best bunch of
people to help 
> out.  So what ever the most vocal list members are
using is often best?

Condition met.

-- 
Rik Tindall, InfoHelp Services <http://www.infohelp.co.
nz> on virus-free
Ubuntu GNU/Linux 6.06 freeOS, 2.6.15-28-686 kernel, GNOME
2.14.3 desktop
OpenOffice.org 2.0.2 suite, Mozilla.org Firefox 1.5.0.9 web
browser and
Thunderbird 1.5.0.9 email, gEdit 2.14.4 web editor, gFTP
2.0.18 fileXfer

Rik Tindall wrote:
>> ..so far I haven't been able to make sense out of
bluetooth.  I've got 
>> the driver working, I think, but none of the
applications.
> 
> Ditto. Anyone care to run a klug nite on bluetooth?

I'd be in.

Chris, do you want to add this to the list of topics people
would be 
interested in hearing about?

Anyone on list actually using it?

Cheers Don

-- 
Don Gould
www.thinkdesignprint.co.nz - www.tcn.bowenvale.co.nz - 
www.bowenvale.co.nz - www.hearingbooks.co.nz -
www.crra.org.nz - 
www.justhelicopters.co.nz - www.buxtonsquare.co.nz - 
skype:ThinkDesignPrint?add - Good ideas: 
www.solarking.co.nz

Don Gould wrote:
>
>
> Rik Tindall wrote:
>>> ..so far I haven't been able to make sense out
of bluetooth.  I've 
>>> got the driver working, I think, but none of
the applications.
>>
>> Ditto. Anyone care to run a klug nite on
bluetooth?
>
> I'd be in.
>
> Chris, do you want to add this to the list of topics
people would be 
> interested in hearing about?
>
> Anyone on list actually using it?
>
> Cheers Don
>
Shouldn't we actually find someone who has got it to work
first?