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I started with Debian because I perceived it to be the safest. As I became more comfortable with Linux, I became frustrated with the versions available to me t

by pdx 15y ago

I started with Debian because I perceived it to be the safest. As I became more comfortable with Linux, I became frustrated with the versions available to me through apt-get of software that I wanted, and I rapidly became tired of compiling everything I wanted from source in order to get a more recent version. I finally took the chance on Ubuntu for that reason, and haven't looked back. I suspect my story is a common one.

icebraining 15y ago
I just aptitude upgrade'd to Sid/Unstable.
bwarp 15y ago
I'm not sure it is. Speaking only from personal experience, we've canned all our Ubuntu LTS machines as they were terribly unreliable (kernel failures and wierd bugs on good hardware) and shipped broken packages regularly (mysql-server being the most notorious). No problems at all with Debian so far.
billpatrianakos 15y ago
Though I made the switch too, I don't get your problem with packages. Debian uses Aptitude same as Ubuntu. It sounds like the problem you had with Debian was that you didn't have the sources you needed in your sources list. I started with CentOS but found it difficult to maintain and set up. Then I switched to Debian because for some reason I felt pressure to not use Ubuntu. People often imply that Ubuntu is for bad programmers, inexperienced people, etc. It's kind of like "well, all the cool kids are using distro X because we're l33t and you're not cool because you use Ubuntu" so I stayed away from it for a while. Finally I ended up deciding that it was more important to just get a fucking app running on a server I could most effectively use. I'd been using Xubuntu and Crunchbang on my laptop for a while and so I made the switch and I'm very happy with it. I subsequently redeployed all my VPSes with Ubuntu 11.10 or 10.10 depending on what the hosts offered. I like it because not only is it the easiest for me to manage but it seems like its easier to find help for any problems you may run into and good documentation. I say screw the hipster crowd who are too cool for Ubuntu and just focus on what's best for you. I think people like that are trying to convince themselves of how great they are more than anything else.
- pdx 15y ago
  I believe I could have perhaps, hacked the sources list, but the 'correct' debian sources for a given package are often a version or two behind the Ubuntu sources.
  - cullenking 15y ago
    This is a desirable trait in a server. You keep behind everything by a version or two and you are essentially guaranteed more stability. Considering how Ubuntu 11.10 has run on my desktop, I would not want to build my business off it. Mot vendors offer a PPA for easy integration with apt on debian. MongoDB, Maria/MySQL/Percona etc. This way your core system stays solid and well tested, but you can build your app layer using whatever version you want. It's definitely a win-win.
  - andar 15y ago
    I think this is because Ubuntu is based on Debian sid, which is the "unstable" Debian branch. You might have been using the stable release.
- SkyMarshal 15y ago
  >Finally I ended up deciding that it was more important to just get a fucking app running on a server I could most effectively use. Be a l337 hipster with your desktop if you must, but for servers go with what has had the most man hours put into its evolution toward stability, performance, support (aka, it just works). In that regard, if Ubuntu is good enough for Facebook's servers (I hear, but haven't verified) it's good enough for mine.
  - billpatrianakos 15y ago
    Right. I've tried other distros and I'm just not comfortable enough with them. There's no shame in being inexperienced at something. Ubuntu makes my life easier so I use it. If I grow out of it one day (which I really doubt) then I'll switch but it makes no sense forcing yourself to use something you don't understand because someone thinks they know what's best for you.
sciurus 15y ago
Every 6 months, Ubuntu grabs the latest packages from Debian unstable. In contrast, it usually takes two years for new versions of software to move from Debian unstable to testing to stable.
- lelele 15y ago
  Would you upgrade your server each six months? I don't think so. We should compare Debian release cycle to Ubuntu LTS'.

by pdx 15y ago

icebraining 15y ago

I just aptitude upgrade'd to Sid/Unstable.

bwarp 15y ago

I'm not sure it is. Speaking only from personal experience, we've canned all our Ubuntu LTS machines as they were terribly unreliable (kernel failures and wierd bugs on good hardware) and shipped broken packages regularly (mysql-server being the most notorious). No problems at all with Debian so far.

billpatrianakos 15y ago

Though I made the switch too, I don't get your problem with packages. Debian uses Aptitude same as Ubuntu. It sounds like the problem you had with Debian was that you didn't have the sources you needed in your sources list. I started with CentOS but found it difficult to maintain and set up. Then I switched to Debian because for some reason I felt pressure to not use Ubuntu. People often imply that Ubuntu is for bad programmers, inexperienced people, etc. It's kind of like "well, all the cool kids are using distro X because we're l33t and you're not cool because you use Ubuntu" so I stayed away from it for a while. Finally I ended up deciding that it was more important to just get a fucking app running on a server I could most effectively use. I'd been using Xubuntu and Crunchbang on my laptop for a while and so I made the switch and I'm very happy with it. I subsequently redeployed all my VPSes with Ubuntu 11.10 or 10.10 depending on what the hosts offered. I like it because not only is it the easiest for me to manage but it seems like its easier to find help for any problems you may run into and good documentation. I say screw the hipster crowd who are too cool for Ubuntu and just focus on what's best for you. I think people like that are trying to convince themselves of how great they are more than anything else.

pdx 15y ago
I believe I could have perhaps, hacked the sources list, but the 'correct' debian sources for a given package are often a version or two behind the Ubuntu sources.
- cullenking 15y ago
  This is a desirable trait in a server. You keep behind everything by a version or two and you are essentially guaranteed more stability. Considering how Ubuntu 11.10 has run on my desktop, I would not want to build my business off it. Mot vendors offer a PPA for easy integration with apt on debian. MongoDB, Maria/MySQL/Percona etc. This way your core system stays solid and well tested, but you can build your app layer using whatever version you want. It's definitely a win-win.
- andar 15y ago
  I think this is because Ubuntu is based on Debian sid, which is the "unstable" Debian branch. You might have been using the stable release.
SkyMarshal 15y ago
>Finally I ended up deciding that it was more important to just get a fucking app running on a server I could most effectively use. Be a l337 hipster with your desktop if you must, but for servers go with what has had the most man hours put into its evolution toward stability, performance, support (aka, it just works). In that regard, if Ubuntu is good enough for Facebook's servers (I hear, but haven't verified) it's good enough for mine.
- billpatrianakos 15y ago
  Right. I've tried other distros and I'm just not comfortable enough with them. There's no shame in being inexperienced at something. Ubuntu makes my life easier so I use it. If I grow out of it one day (which I really doubt) then I'll switch but it makes no sense forcing yourself to use something you don't understand because someone thinks they know what's best for you.

sciurus 15y ago

Every 6 months, Ubuntu grabs the latest packages from Debian unstable. In contrast, it usually takes two years for new versions of software to move from Debian unstable to testing to stable.

lelele 15y ago
Would you upgrade your server each six months? I don't think so. We should compare Debian release cycle to Ubuntu LTS'.