On Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:56:25 +0530 Linux Tyro <ubuntu....@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > > Okk. It means that they soon changes but at least Debian is rock solid > stable (because it is not the test bed of anybody like SLES or RHEL or > anyother...). Is it exactly like this that Debian is only for those > who need a very stable distro rather than becoming a test bed for the > services to any other commercial product(s)...? > 'Stability' and 'getting new software frequently' are incompatible. Debian has three distributions running. The only one advertised and called just 'Debian' is the Stable version. It receives quick fixes for security bugs, but on the whole, no new software. The software version which exists when it is released (roughly every two years) is the one it keeps until the distribution is no longer supported. Stable is used mostly for servers, which need exactly this behaviour, but it's also the most suitable for new users, as like server administrators, they don't like surprises. Debian Testing is the testbed for Stable, and is probably roughly equal to Fedora and openSUSE in this respect. It is frozen, probably six to twelve months before a new Stable release, and after that does not change dramatically, though software versions may be upgraded. It mostly works almost fully, and is a good choice for a desktop once you are able to use the upgrade system easily and can therefore fix simple problems. The current Testing is not yet frozen. Debian Unstable is the testbed for Testing, where new software is first integrated into a Debian system, and hence is likely to cause trouble for users fairly often. It will have the latest software, but at any time there are often things which don't work, or work badly. They are generally repaired quickly, within a day or two, but Unstable is only recommended for people with the experience to fix things, and with at least one more Internet-connected computer. There is a naming system, under which the current Stable is called Squeeze, and the current Testing is Wheezy. At some time, probably about a year from now, Wheezy will become Stable, and Testing will then be given a new name and start to rapidly change. Unstable is always called Sid, and never has new versions, it just evolves continuously. Testing also evolves, in that it is not upgraded but it very quickly changes after the Stable release. Stable does not evolve, it has to be upgraded, but the fact that it is widely used on servers means that a large amount of work goes into ensuring that the upgrade happens with the minimum possible disturbance to the system, and generally very little downtime apart from two reboots. There are also many systems based on Debian, which usually aim to make some aspects easier for beginners. The best-known one today is Ubuntu, which is almost a dirty word here, because some of its publisher's policies are apparently aimed at improving popularity at the expense of flexibility and power, and possibly stability. Ubuntu does, however, install easily on new hardware, and sometimes Debian Stable has problems there. Knoppix is generally felt to be best of all in this respect, but Knoppix really is just a live-CD distribution, and is not suitable for installation as it cannot be upgraded. It is extremely useful for finding out what software is necessary for difficult hardware, and Debian users usually keep it available for this reason. Both Knoppix and Ubuntu are real Debian underneath, using the same software installation system, and mostly the same system file locations, but they draw heavily on Sid rather than the more stable variants, so they can be a bit unreliable. -- Joe -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20111027095213.06e7d...@jretrading.com
