I got another 2 question thread again, the first off is, is there a site which provides in depth reviews of linux distos, preferably with comparitive analysis of other distros as well? And 2nd lesser question, which distro is knoppix based off of(I think debian but not sure which one)? EDIT:might as well put a third question, would it be a good idea to change my distro from mandrake to debian, for just an ordinary everyday linux user? [edited by - eedok on March 29, 2004 1:32:46 AM]

quote: Original post by eedok
I got another 2 question thread again, the first off is, is there a site which provides in depth reviews of linux distos, preferably with comparitive analysis of other distros as well?

DistroWatch.com has a "Reviews and Articles" section. I haven''t read any of them myself.

OSNews sometimes has reviews of new releases too. The quality varies.

quote: Original post by eedok
And 2nd lesser question, which distro is knoppix based off of(I think debian but not sure which one)?

It''s a mixture of the Debian repositories. Mostly unstable (Sid) last time I checked.

quote: Original post by eedok
EDIT:might as well put a third question, would it be a good idea to change my distro from mandrake to debian, for just an ordinary everyday linux user?

Do you have any complaints with Mandrake? If you''re "just an ordinary everyday linux user" you might not have gone deep enough into the details to notice anything you''d care about. A lot of things Debian does differently from Mandrake aren''t necessarily better or worse, just different; and, hence, are personal opinion issues. If you have specific annoyances you''re looking to cure, on the other hand...

In answer to the 3rd question. Debian has a history of being harder to install. I haven''t installed the latest releases, but I know the 2.2 install was difficult. Once its installed its a very nice distro.

My rule of thumb is "use whatever is best for you." Even if its Windows. Software is a tool, and the OS is the base for all the other tools. Fill your toolbox with the tools that work best for you. Having said that, if you want to explore, then by all means, just be prepared to be flexible as debian has different install/package tools than Mandrake does.

Cheers
Dave

differences from converting from mandrake to debian:

CON: You will lose SOME special purpose configuration things. (any know if debian has a printer setup tool? I didn''t see one...)
CONish: Debian woody is old. Solution: Upgrade to testing immediately after installing. testing works, I''m using it now.

PRO: Debian''s package repository is vast. You''ll find anything you need with apt-get, and not need to install stuff from the project''s website.
PRO: Lots of small things, which add up.

debian gets a bad rap about being hard from its iffy installer. I didn''t have a problem with it, but.. well... I wouldn''t have a problem with an installer that looks like this:

"Install it all yourself you lazy bum."

so try it and ask questions.

Well I have a reason why I''d like to switch, and the reason is mandrake doesn''t seem to like my hardware(more specificly printer and sound card), and I tried out knoppix and it''s works way better on my computer than mandrake move does.. but knoppix doesn''t come with enough packages, so I''m thinking debian is the answer..

quote: Original post by C-Junkie
any know if debian has a printer setup tool? I didn''t see one...

CUPS has a web-based configuration tool (which is a bit odd, but completely usable and it''s always done the job for me). There''s also gnome-cups-manager; also for CUPS, obviously. KDE likely has something similar (considering that KDE seems to put everything in its central control center application, it may be in there by default; I couldn''t say, as I haven''t checked).

quote: Original post by Null and Void
KDE likely has something similar (considering that KDE seems to put everything in its central control center application, it may be in there by default; I couldn''t say, as I haven''t checked).

Yep, it''s in there by default. Control Center -> Peripherals -> Printers.

quote: I wouldn''t have a problem with an installer that looks like this:

"Install it all yourself you lazy bum."

You mean Gentoo?

It''s been a long time since, I showed my face here... But I say go with debian. Try the new beta3 installer, and also research apt pinning if you want a mix between recent and stable software. You can install knoppix from the cd, but I recommend just installing debian using the new beta installer. www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer

It is foolish for a wise man to be silent, but wise for a fool.

Matthew
WebMaster
www.Matt-Land.com

All your Windows base are belong to Linux.
All your GameDev.net base are belong to Myopic Rhino

does the beta installer work with woody? or is there a place to get Sarge images?

EDIT: found the sarge images, 12!! of them, the cdr companies must be laughing from their posts

[edited by - eedok on March 31, 2004 1:18:37 PM]

If you have a suitable connection, do a net-install. I haven''t tried the new "Debian Installer", but in the old "Boot Floppies" you could tell it what repository to install from when doing a net-install; the capability is likely still there. So, there''s no huge need to get an installer image for specific release if you''re doing a net-install.