Tom,
It all depends on which version of Ubuntu and Debian that you're
referring to. Much stride has been taken in this area of late. It also
makes a difference which brand the wireless device uses. Some work
well, while others still require the use of ndiswrapper and the windows
drivers.
I guess that it's Ubuntu Edgy (6.10) that you're referring to, and yes,
it is a good distro for a new user of GNU/Linux. The reason I switched
to Debian is personal, and by no means does that say that it's bad for
everyone. It just wasn't what I was looking for.
As far as switching from Ubuntu to Debian, if /home is on a separate
partition, it is quite simple, but keep in mind that the version of
programs may be different, so there COULD be incompatibilities in the
configuration files of some programs (the hidden files in your home
directory).
Personally, I had no difficulties at all even though I was running KDE
3.5.6 on Kubuntu and 3.5.5 on Debian, the configuration works fine. I
did loose a few programs that I had installed not using apt, but they
are easily replaced thanks to the net.
One thing to remember about Ubuntu is that they pull packages from
Unstable and Experimental as well as Testing. They sometimes send
updates that will break your system (one trashed X, another the kernel)
If anyone asks me where they should start, I look at the person and what
sort of technical ability they have. If they are the type that likes to
tweak their system all the time, then I would recommend Gentoo. It
really all depends on who is asking. For some people Linspire or Ubuntu
would be a good start, others it might be Mepis or PCLinuxOS. Someone
who wants stability, Debian.
Joe
tom arnall wrote:
I booted from the Ubuntu CD the other day and was very impressed. It got my
wireless card right off. Back 6 months ago when I did a Debian install from
the minimal cd, I had to recompile the kernel etc to get my card to work.
Does anyone know if this has changed?
I am thinking seriously of recommending Ubuntu as a starting point for new
users. Comments on the advantages/disadvantages of this idea are encouraged.
What is involved for a user to switch from Ubuntu to Debian?
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