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How Should One Review a Distribution?

Posted by Cliff on from the getting-the-full-picture dept.

Chilliwilli asks: "Why are are good distro reviews so few and far between? Every review I've read recently seems to follow this unoriginal pattern. Big cheers about a nice easy graphical install followed by one or two driver problems blamed on hardware manufacturers. Then the rest of the review seems to be everything worked out of the box. Menus contained usual items. Software versions are X, Y and Z. See OSNews for many examples of such reviews. From the reviews I've currently read all distros seem pretty much the same, is there a reliable source for interesting, impartial and full reviews? Are there any guidelines for distro comparisons? What should people really be looking at when reviewing a distribution? I guess the broader question is what sets distros apart?"

7 of 469 comments (clear)

  1. Easy! by Trejkaz · · Score: 4, Funny

    They should be looking for the lack of a graphical installer, and a clear set of instructions on how to install the system without one.

    --
    Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
    1. Re:Easy! by grepistan · · Score: 5, Funny

      Personally, I don't trust myself to do the job right!

      --
      Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
      -- Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
  2. Well by cscx · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some people have said the best way to "review" a distribution is to make grandiose claims that Gentoo rules all, followed by some mumbling about "emerge sync" or such.

    1. Re:Well by vandan · · Score: 4, Funny

      While it is true that Gentoo rules, I think people should really stick to the traditional forumula for a review:

      - Set aside 60 minutes per operating system.
      - Install everything as fast as possible, making sure to select the default options.
      - Comment on how pretty each installer is
      - Comment on how many clicks are required to complete the installation
      - Compare installation times
      - Comment on what hardware was automatically detected
      - Make sure to include a screenshot of each OS running their default window manager immediately after the install is done

      Have I missed anything?

  3. What sets distros apart? by l33t-gu3lph1t3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    nerd politics.

    --
    ------- "From bored to fanboy in 3.8 asian girls" ----------
  4. Re:Easy Answer: by nomadic · · Score: 5, Funny

    I care and I _still_ don't know the basic differences between Debian, Fedora, Gentoo, SuSe, Mandrake, Slackware, et cetera.

    Debians the squiggly line, Fedora's the hat, Gentoo's the weird looking bird, SuSe is the lizard, Mandrake is the star, Slackware is the uhh...series of letters that spell out Slackware.

    Understand now?

  5. Re:What sets distros apart? by Eminor · · Score: 4, Funny

    nerd politics.

    To minimize nerd politics, go with BSD. In general there isn't as much zealotry going on in BSD movement.

    Plus it's a solid operating system that provides you with over 10,000 ports that just work. 'make install clean' and *BANG* your done.