Re: Debian and Redhat-are most linux users missing the point?
Wasn't gonna do it, but what the hell...
_My Linux Story_
In 1994, after learning of it from a friend, I purchased a 4 disk set
of Linux CDs from Infomagic. I soon threw in the towel in
frustration, never getting my proprietary cdrom hardware and that
distribution's installation software to jibe. The CDs did come in
handy last month when I needed a copy of libc.so.4...
About 6 months ago I bought Redhat 5.1 along with the official Redhat
book. It was RPM (and Redhat's marketing) that won me over, and for a
couple of months I used Redhat. I actually *used* it, because of its
easy installation, and its control-panel, which held my hand every
step of the way.
Print a test page Y/n? Did it stair-step? Click this box to fix it.
Easy. But just what did clicking that box *do*? What does the easy to
set up ppp *do* on the system level? What it doesn't do is offer a way
to learn Linux basics--it just makes things work, and well, I must
add.
I discovered Debian about two months later, falling all over myself in
Debian's technical superiority. I loved it, but how the hell do I fix
stair-stepping? It was easy. Early on I learned that all I had to do
was set up a print filter. It just took a few Sunday afternoons of
reading, and trying this, and more reading, and try something else,
and reinstalling something that broke because I thought this might
work, and didn't, and I'll be damned if I'll be afraid to try
something. And so with PPP, and X. And I learned a lot about my shiny
new operating system, and enjoy it. Now it's a fun project, a pita,
and a way of dismissing MS. I expect I'll soon use Debian as my
regular OS.
Just my story... Here's another:
Today I browsed a local computer superstore, Micro Center, which had a
Redhat display in a prominent (for Linux, anyway) location. Retail
boxes were stacked fronts facing outward, stealing attention from the
surrounding area. There were some Caldera CDs of various vintages
nearby, and no Debian in sight. Sigh.
Back six months ago, Redhat appeared the best game in town. What's
Debian? Some hack tossed together by a bunch of college kids, thought
I. They don't even exist as a company. Little did I know the hidden
truth.
Thanks to all the folks who develop Debian, and to all who've
contributed the information I've gathered here and elsewhere.
Burt Model
Northeastern U.S.
bmodel @ mindspring.com
...and it's only 1AM...
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