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Updates From Debian
A couple of people noted that
"Linuxlookup.com is reporting the third update of Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 (codename `woody') which mainly adds security updates to the stable release, along with a few corrections to serious problems. Those who frequently update from security.debian.org won't have to update many packages and most updates from security.debian.org are included in this update." Another reader writes "Looks like the Debian project just released
their old stable distribution (woody) with a huge numbers of security
updates, some removals and some less critical bugfixes. It's been a long
time that we had to wait for it, the last update was in November last year,
together with the break-in." And finally: pkarlos_76 writes "What's holding up Debian Sarge from release to stable? It's those lazy maintainers..... no actually it's just a few issues with security and bugs being quashed, and maybe you can help speed things up, especially if you are a maintainer, as your package will be left out if release candidate bugs are not fixed. Sarge Release Status Update available on Debianhelp . Even if you aren't a maintainer, any help with bug quashing, picking up orphaned packages or what not is always a Good Thing.
I'm not that familiar with Debian so I'm wondering what's Debian's unique selling point? What does it do that others don't?
My impression of Debian rightly or wrongly is a rather conservative distro with a very rigid/ideological view on which licenses the will package.
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To track unstable (like tracking -current in the *BSDs) _can_ give you some surprises, but rarely _does_. I use sid on my desktop since the time KDE wasn't in the distro (QPL problems). I haven't been bitten for some two years now.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Debian has so many packages and platforms that it is hard to release.
It is even crazier that a game like "Abuse" is listed as a release stopper. C'mon folks. We need a small core that drives the release schedule.
Maybe this is why ubuntu forked.
I do love the long support cycle of debian. Can't afford to upgrade a server every year, which is the case for Fedora and friends
wow... 30% Troll, 40% flamebait, 30% interesting... glad someone got my message... pity some others couldn't see past their blinkers (blinders for the USAnians)... Debian is increasingly in danger of being sidelined because it's too big and the release process is so damned slow... Ubuntu has got the right message, freeze a subset of Sid and fix it, pass the fixes back to Debian... everyone benefits
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
Servers are supposed to be "boring", "dull", "mundane", "reliable", etc.
I run a few Debian servers and they never give me any problems. Patches go in without any problems. They never do down. They just keep serving.
Gentoo is great on a desktop. But a desktop has completely different requirements than a server. A desktop can get by with an unstable app.
A server should not be running anything it doesn't absolutely have to and everything it runs must be rock solid. Debian gives me all of that on a server.
Maybe.
Knoppix on the desktop is awesome and it is Debian. One Knoppix CD + a USB toy and you've got it all.
Debian on the server may not have all the Oracle support and such that Red Hat does, but it handles just about everything else.
That isn't fair. Debian isn't "politically correct." It is socially responsible.
"THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS ONLY ME." -Death
You are wrong. "Political Correctness" is a superficial rewording of things to appease a minority or to make those referring to a minority feel better. Saying "African American" vs. "Black" is politically correct. Debian is a project that stands for certain values. There is really no comparison to being "PC." Just because Debian and what it stands for isn't important to you, doesn't mean it is "politically correct."
-matthew
"THERE IS NO JUSTICE, THERE IS ONLY ME." -Death
Sure, unstable is fine if you only have one machine, but what about those of us who want to deploy Debian enterprise-wide? Debian provides a wonderful framework for us, but no suitable distribution. Stable is at this point too old even for our servers (we run it, but with several backports and locally packaged addons) and is completely out of the question for client workstations. Testing and unstable are no better, because they're constantly moving targets. A machine installed today might look very different from a machine installed yesterday.
noah
Exim 3 is being maintained by debian developers for up to date security. It wont get new features and support for setting up a new system if you need help as no one outside of debian list will be of much help with exim 3 now but it will still be secure.
You have no proof of this. Since debian stable users represent the only large remaining user base of these old as god programs, you are at the mercy of a much smaller group of potential auditers.
Security issues that exist in 3 but not in 4 (ie parts of rewritten code) are more likely to go completely unnoticed.
This is compounded by the fact that a lot of people are using debian stable and assuming that it's secure because everyone says it's more secure. There is more complacency.
For example, A debian maintainer saying he is going to maintain BIND8 isn't going to magically make it better.