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When Alpine doesn't cut it, I use Debian's "slim" docker images. 55MB size. This minimal ubuntu is slightly smaller, but I don't see anything else novel about i

When Alpine doesn't cut it, I use Debian's "slim" docker images. 55MB size. This minimal ubuntu is slightly smaller, but I don't see anything else novel about it - why should I be excited?

marenkay 8y ago
That would be the real question: considering Ubuntu is just a Debian fork, what is the benefit of using Ubuntu on a server?
- smacktoward 8y ago
  Ubuntu Server comes with a bunch of nice quality-of-life improvements that make using it more pleasant than using stock Debian, and you get the predictability of Ubuntu's standardized release cadence (a new release every 6 months on the dot, alongside longer-lived LTS versions).
  - ndiscussion 8y ago
    As someone who runs a tiny VPS with stock Debian, I'm interested (but skeptical). It's not your job but what do you feel are some of the best QOL improvements?
    - jstarfish 8y ago
      Not speaking for the parent, but I much prefer Ubuntu over Debian in this context for the sake of the wider variety of packages from official repos that aren't a few versions behind by default.
    - smacktoward 8y ago
      Little things. UFW included by default, so you can set up a firewall without having to wrestle with iptables. do-release-upgrade to handle upgrades, instead of having to work through a list of release notes each time. Nothing earth-shaking, just things that sand down some of Debian’s rougher edges.
  - marenkay 8y ago
    I have to say, none of these are benefits for productive use. You may want long-term stability out of a release, which is IMHO where Debian shines more. They provide much longer support times than what a Ubuntu LTS offers. The latest and greatest package is not so much beneficial in production, and e.g. with containers you do not even have to bother much about it since all you probably care for is kernel and container runtime updates. What I still would be interested in though is if there is any technical benefit from Ubuntu server? Something which is not easily resolved by configuration management or a simple "apt-get install"?
ithkuil 8y ago
There is also https://github.com/bitnami/minideb https://github.com/bitnami/minideb

When Alpine doesn't cut it, I use Debian's "slim" docker images. 55MB size. This minimal ubuntu is slightly smaller, but I don't see anything else novel about it - why should I be excited?

marenkay 8y ago

That would be the real question: considering Ubuntu is just a Debian fork, what is the benefit of using Ubuntu on a server?

smacktoward 8y ago
Ubuntu Server comes with a bunch of nice quality-of-life improvements that make using it more pleasant than using stock Debian, and you get the predictability of Ubuntu's standardized release cadence (a new release every 6 months on the dot, alongside longer-lived LTS versions).
- ndiscussion 8y ago
  As someone who runs a tiny VPS with stock Debian, I'm interested (but skeptical). It's not your job but what do you feel are some of the best QOL improvements?
  - jstarfish 8y ago
    Not speaking for the parent, but I much prefer Ubuntu over Debian in this context for the sake of the wider variety of packages from official repos that aren't a few versions behind by default.
  - smacktoward 8y ago
    Little things. UFW included by default, so you can set up a firewall without having to wrestle with iptables. do-release-upgrade to handle upgrades, instead of having to work through a list of release notes each time. Nothing earth-shaking, just things that sand down some of Debian’s rougher edges.
- marenkay 8y ago
  I have to say, none of these are benefits for productive use. You may want long-term stability out of a release, which is IMHO where Debian shines more. They provide much longer support times than what a Ubuntu LTS offers. The latest and greatest package is not so much beneficial in production, and e.g. with containers you do not even have to bother much about it since all you probably care for is kernel and container runtime updates. What I still would be interested in though is if there is any technical benefit from Ubuntu server? Something which is not easily resolved by configuration management or a simple "apt-get install"?

ithkuil 8y ago

There is also https://github.com/bitnami/minideb https://github.com/bitnami/minideb