5 ms·

> Today, a user with a new laptop from most vendors will struggle to use it at all with our firmware-free Debian installation media. They really shouldn’t wast

> Today, a user with a new laptop from most vendors will struggle to use it at all with our firmware-free Debian installation media. They really shouldn’t waste their limited, mostly community funded resources on this though. How many people use straight Debian on a laptop, and why? The packages are older, it’s more stability oriented anyway.

CogitoCogito 4y ago
I usually run debian on my laptops. I recently got a new one and have run the pre-installed pop OS until now. But after trying that out for a while, I've decided to move back to debian on it whenever I get the chance. I generally prefer debian because it's what I know. I also like the stability of the OS even for a laptop. I can't tell you how common people like me are though.
- notprofitable 4y ago
  Obviously this is in no way an indication, but I use it too, as well as my family members and the one friend who uses GNU too. Debian manages to feel simple and reliable, and I rarely have issues with it. That's wildly different on other systems/GNUs. Issues I had with certain machines just stopped occurring. It's not perfect - subjectively and objectively there are things which could be improved, but I feel like the core values of Debian fulfill the needs of a common type of laptop user, me being one of them. I think that the organization is well equipped to not disappoint my trust.
alsobrsp 4y ago
> How many people use straight Debian on a laptop, and why? I have run Debian on every PC and Laptop I have owned since c2000 and my wife's since c2005. Most recently a Lenovo P1 Gen 4. It is the best OS choice for me. Yes I have to install with the non-free installer and had to install with wired Ethernet. > The packages are older, it’s more stability oriented anyway. Admittedly, I am running Debian Sid.
- passthejoe 4y ago
  I run Debian off and on, and have been doing so for years. I generally start a new computer on Fedora because the hardware only works in newer kernels, and Fedora sends new ones all the time. But after awhile, I gravitate back to Debian. I like the stability. I like the quiet in terms of updates, even with Debian's strong security model. Debian is my home distro. I know it. I might have said the same thing about Ubuntu, but I haven't run it in years. I'm glad it's there, but Debian's release cadence and the philosophy behind the Stable/Testing/Sid cascade is something that works for me.
suramya_tomar 4y ago
I use it on my laptop because it is stable and because I want my desktop and laptop to have the same environment as much as possible. Lots of others do the same as well. More and more people are moving from desktops to laptops so supporting them is an important consideration, This issue was important enough that it was addressed as part of the "How is Debian Doing" post earlier this year. How is adding the firmware for the common chips to the installation media 'wasting their limited, mostly community funded resources' ? The packages are already there in the non-free branch they just need to add it to the installation packages. Plus a lot of testing and sanity checks but it is not like they need to recode the entire system which is what you seem to be making it out to be. The firmware packages are stable and work great. All this is doing is including them in the initial setup itself rather than asking folks to download and install manually.

CogitoCogito 4y ago

I usually run debian on my laptops. I recently got a new one and have run the pre-installed pop OS until now. But after trying that out for a while, I've decided to move back to debian on it whenever I get the chance. I generally prefer debian because it's what I know. I also like the stability of the OS even for a laptop. I can't tell you how common people like me are though.

notprofitable 4y ago
Obviously this is in no way an indication, but I use it too, as well as my family members and the one friend who uses GNU too. Debian manages to feel simple and reliable, and I rarely have issues with it. That's wildly different on other systems/GNUs. Issues I had with certain machines just stopped occurring. It's not perfect - subjectively and objectively there are things which could be improved, but I feel like the core values of Debian fulfill the needs of a common type of laptop user, me being one of them. I think that the organization is well equipped to not disappoint my trust.

alsobrsp 4y ago

> How many people use straight Debian on a laptop, and why? I have run Debian on every PC and Laptop I have owned since c2000 and my wife's since c2005. Most recently a Lenovo P1 Gen 4. It is the best OS choice for me. Yes I have to install with the non-free installer and had to install with wired Ethernet. > The packages are older, it’s more stability oriented anyway. Admittedly, I am running Debian Sid.

passthejoe 4y ago
I run Debian off and on, and have been doing so for years. I generally start a new computer on Fedora because the hardware only works in newer kernels, and Fedora sends new ones all the time. But after awhile, I gravitate back to Debian. I like the stability. I like the quiet in terms of updates, even with Debian's strong security model. Debian is my home distro. I know it. I might have said the same thing about Ubuntu, but I haven't run it in years. I'm glad it's there, but Debian's release cadence and the philosophy behind the Stable/Testing/Sid cascade is something that works for me.

suramya_tomar 4y ago

I use it on my laptop because it is stable and because I want my desktop and laptop to have the same environment as much as possible. Lots of others do the same as well. More and more people are moving from desktops to laptops so supporting them is an important consideration, This issue was important enough that it was addressed as part of the "How is Debian Doing" post earlier this year. How is adding the firmware for the common chips to the installation media 'wasting their limited, mostly community funded resources' ? The packages are already there in the non-free branch they just need to add it to the installation packages. Plus a lot of testing and sanity checks but it is not like they need to recode the entire system which is what you seem to be making it out to be. The firmware packages are stable and work great. All this is doing is including them in the initial setup itself rather than asking folks to download and install manually.