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> Debian has decades old versions of packages that they'll backport security fixes into till pretty much the end of time I don't know what filthy corner of the

by pferde 3y ago

> Debian has decades old versions of packages that they'll backport security fixes into till pretty much the end of time I don't know what filthy corner of the internet you get this misinformation from, but it is completely wrong. Please stop.

noirscape 3y ago
To be clear, I have nothing against them doing that, I'm just saying that this is how Debian generally operates. Their extended support model still allows for backporting fixes into jessie of all things, which released almost 8 years ago. It's really good that they do that, I respect the niche they work in, but Debian has the nasty knock-on effect of having a lot of guides made for it by third parties that recommend really outdated versions of debian which can be a nasty suprise for someone new to Linux. (It also results in notable forks like Raspbian having a poor update cycle - I remember in particular that it took about 2 years to move from the regular EOL of wheezy to jessie.)
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  > Their extended support model still allows for backporting fixes into jessie of all things, which released almost 8 years ago. So your evidence that they don't update things is that they backport new fixes to an EOL version? Even if that made sense, 8 years is 0.8 decades; I think a lot of the pushback is that you said "decades old versions", which is to say "versions of packages that are at least 20 years old", which is wildly out of line with reality.
  - iscream26 3y ago
    It's just rhetorical hyperbole, you're reading too much into it.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
      Rhetorical hyperbole that's inaccurate deserves to be called out; that's not really a defense.
- pferde 3y ago
  If that is what you meant in your original post, then you presented it in a very manipulative, dishonest way. You alluded to Debian only offering decades old software versions and nothing newer, while the truth is that by default, users get fairly recent versions (e.g. KDE/Plasma is only one point release behind upstream), and one has to go out of their way and jump through hoops to get a version of Debian with software that is several years (not even a single decade) old.

by pferde 3y ago

noirscape 3y ago

To be clear, I have nothing against them doing that, I'm just saying that this is how Debian generally operates. Their extended support model still allows for backporting fixes into jessie of all things, which released almost 8 years ago. It's really good that they do that, I respect the niche they work in, but Debian has the nasty knock-on effect of having a lot of guides made for it by third parties that recommend really outdated versions of debian which can be a nasty suprise for someone new to Linux. (It also results in notable forks like Raspbian having a poor update cycle - I remember in particular that it took about 2 years to move from the regular EOL of wheezy to jessie.)

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
> Their extended support model still allows for backporting fixes into jessie of all things, which released almost 8 years ago. So your evidence that they don't update things is that they backport new fixes to an EOL version? Even if that made sense, 8 years is 0.8 decades; I think a lot of the pushback is that you said "decades old versions", which is to say "versions of packages that are at least 20 years old", which is wildly out of line with reality.
- iscream26 3y ago
  It's just rhetorical hyperbole, you're reading too much into it.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    Rhetorical hyperbole that's inaccurate deserves to be called out; that's not really a defense.
pferde 3y ago
If that is what you meant in your original post, then you presented it in a very manipulative, dishonest way. You alluded to Debian only offering decades old software versions and nothing newer, while the truth is that by default, users get fairly recent versions (e.g. KDE/Plasma is only one point release behind upstream), and one has to go out of their way and jump through hoops to get a version of Debian with software that is several years (not even a single decade) old.