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What Your Choice of Linux Distro Says about You
iter8 writes "NewsForge has an article explaining what your choice of distro says about you. There's no comment on what using Windows or OS X does for your rep. I use Mandrake, so that makes me suave and sophisticated."
There are plenty of hardcore code, library, kernel hackers running distros like fedora, suse, mandrake, etc
There are also plenty of totaly linux newbies using gentoo, archlinux, etc
I know that this article is a joke (not a funny one either), but these stereotypes need to come to an end.
Sunny Dubey
The entire point of the article is to piss off everyone using any of those distros.
Indeed. But it would probably be "Slackware users are no-nonsense, doctrinarial, and do most things "by the book." They take pride in theirs being the oldest Linux Distro, and shun all others as being "childish."
I have gas, but my car uses petrol.
Ah, yes. Pantera; the "NKOTB" of Metal.
This whole "news article" is just one fucked up way to incite a full on flame war. Great job, CowboyNeal.
sofar i've tried ubuntu, gnoppix, knoppix, suse, morphix, knoppix, slax, elearnix, dynebolic, mepis, dsl, puppy, pc linuxos, gentoo (oh, and one or two of those bsd's as well).
The moment i find one that recognizes my onboard sound i'll take it, no matter which name it's got. Untill then i'm stuck on windoze for everything that involves sound (and i do like music).
uhhh, recompile the kernel and use whichever distro you choose.
I agree that the documentation is easy to follow. But I dont understand why you make it sound like a bad thing. Its wonderfull they have such good documentation. How else are you going to learn to do it the 1st time? And after that, you dont really need the install docs anymore, because you understand the process going on.
that is because most journalists are frightened by Slackware. It's the oldest existing Linux distro (Yggdrasil was the very first) and as far as I am concerned the single best distro for doing what linux is supposed to.
Slackware on a machine is usually 50% or more faster than the fedora,redhat,mandrake and it makes sense where things are and where config files are insteaad of the randomized placement found in other distros. (which is the single bigest problem with linux, I dont care who is right, let's pick one filesystem layout and EVERYONE use it.)
I have tried ALL linux distros and I keep coming back to slackware. It just works.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Either recompile the kernel or get an SB Live for $30. Either way beats using Windows.
1. I HAVE A CHOICE.
2.I DO NOT HAVE TO CONFORM TO THE SCHEMES/STANDARDS/LICENSING SET BY REDMOND.
3. I GET TO USE MY COMPUTER IN THE MANNER I SEE FIT.
If these choices are important to you too, then consider becoming a member of the EFF and supporting your favorite distro by purchasing a copy once a year or so. There's lots of software projects that could use help as well!
Gosh, that's really helpful!
RIGHT THERE is the reason that business, Mom and Dad, and Joe Sixpack won't adopt OSS. The elitist - no, actually - "prick-ish" attitude that so many Linux and Unix users display.
Until this attitude is GONE, we have no chance at becoming the proud bearers of an alternative operating system.
I run FreeBSD, RedHat, Debian, WinXPPro, and Win2KPro, so I'm just a slut, since I'll use anything.
Aren't libertarian (or even anarchist) and control freaks mutually exclusive?
Nope, anarchists want control over their own destiny, and aren't willing to give up any of their personal sovreignty to anyone. They're also intelligent enough to understand basic arguments of symmetry.
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
and I'm talking about this part:
If John Wayne had been a Linux user, he would have used Gentoo. Gentoo users are pioneers, people who like to live close to the metal, and don't mind hurting themselves on sharp objects.
I'll bet my last dollar that a lot of gentoo users, if they used slackware, would hurt themself more than on gentoo. Some people use emerge without knowing wtf its doing and if you give them a real distro, they're gonna be lost and go back to gentoo or a distro with an easy package manager. I have nothing against package managers.
Slackware is the pure thing. You actually learn out of it. Of course when you're done learning and you are sick of it, then ok you can go to gentoo or something like debian sarge but nowadays, it's not true that every gentoo user knows how gentoo and/or portage works.
The people I know who use Debian, myself included, have less patience for crap that doesn't work. Though harder to install, unlike the other distros, you only ever have to do it once.
Tongue in cheek or no, the myth that Debian is behind other distros has continually been dispelled. Debian/Unstable is consistently ahead of other distros. What other distros besides Debian, and maybe Gentoo, currently include Kernel 2.6.8, KDE 3.3.0, and Firefox RC1?
Debian users simply loathe frigging around with the basics of their system, an experience all too common with some other distros. We prefer to spend our time frigging around on Slashdot, et al. Or advocating free software.
More like
Slackware
* Slackware is the system for old, conservative and grumpy programmers. The average user has been running his slackware system since early 1993 and will not give it up 'til his computer (literally) falls apart and there is no compatible computer left in the universe, then he will commit suicide and request to have the picture of J.R. "Bob" Dobbs and some cynical remark about humanity's being unable to RTFM engraved on his tombstone.
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
Debian users take pride in the fact that their distribution is always several releases behind the latest version of the kernel, but makes up for that by being more difficult to install and use.
This is the usual FUD you encounter when discussing Debian. Neither is Debian several versions behind the kernel (yes, stable is somehow old right now, but there is Sarge or backports.org), nor is it difficult to install and use. Debian (I'm talking about the new Installer used for Sarge) has a real nice installation process, making it easy to install straight from network. The package system is clearly one of the best, installing additional software has never been easier: "apt-get install foobar", and through the magical wonders of the internet you get foobar right on your system, including any libraries it depends on. This is a major advantage over other systems where you have to browse through endless lists of packages, interactivly selecting the right package and installing it. The package system is most flexible, so you can get your packages from several sources, really nice for example if you use Debian Stable and backports.org (this project adapts recent software for the Stable branch). I'd say that Debian is the best distribution for newbies, since heliping others is so easy: You acan easily transfer example configurations, you can offer commandline examples for certain jobs, no need to tell someone where to click and what do look for in those fancy colourful dialogs.
And remember: The best distribution for newbies is always the one your more experienced friends use.
Life is just nature's way of keeping meat fresh.
I did enjoy the analysis and, somehow, it did seem to hit home, like reading the explainations on a Chinese Restaurant place matt of the year you were born, with just a smitherene of truth. In my case I started with slackware (not mentioned), changed to redhat from 1.x to 7.2 (bought 8 but never installed it for real use) but after buying a new nvidia chipset MB at home and being given a new intel chipset gateway at work to load, at the time Mandrake was the only distro that came close to working right and supporting the devices. So the newer kid on the block (mandrake) became the suave dominator and when redhat did it's turnaround in the big customer direction, I began to forget about them and fumora, well I tried it. Of course Mandrake ain't perfect and all have a ways to go. But the real Truth is I carry a live linux cd, Knoppix or one of it's derivitives for various uses. Long live knoppix!!!
Parent is a troll.
Parent's Parent (Grandparent?) said he tried Gentoo. To try Gentoo, you must compile a kernel. Therefore, compiling a kernel cannot be something you can target.
"Less power to the government = more power to the people = free people."
That is a gross oversimplification. From your statement it seems like it is only the government which limits the freedom of the people.
In fact one of the most important uses (in my opinion) of government power is to prevent a limitation in the freedom of people by restricting actions from other people and organisations that try to limit this freedom.
An example could be pollution. The government (through regulatory bodies) limits the freedom of people and industry to pollute my neighbourhood. That is a limitation in their freedom but it is done to protect our right to avoid pollution (breathing unpolluted air and so on).
My point is that your freedom to swing your arms in the air ends where my nose begins - and that it is the duty of our government to enforce the rules securing that (the rules are of course passed by the legislative body).
I chose Suse because it's reasonably popular, it's configuration and updates were relatively easy, and, unlike Fedora/RedHat you download (almost) the same CD that's "paid-for" box, then buy a license later if you need corporate support.
I used to use Red Hat 9 and earlier, for the same reasons. Unfortunately, now that RH9 is no longer getting official vendor updates, it no longer meets my criteria.
For demos and "instant linux," I prefer Knoppix, although SuSE's live CD is okay.
I haven't tried it, but something along the lines of LinSpire would be good for Windows98 converts.
For special-purpose configurations, such as firewalls, I'll use a CURRENTLY SUPPORTED, FREQUENTLY UPDATED/EASY-TO-UPDATE distro that's designed for that purpose.
I guess this means I'm a nerd, I'm a nerd, and I'm a nerd.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
Well, you're wrong. No offense intended.
Take a warm fuzzy distro and install it. do a 'ps -auwwx' and look at all the crap running.
Take Slackware, install it like I would (install everything, don't let anything but SSH start as services). Then recompile the kernel specifically for your platform. Compile everything you *NEED* into the kernel, and don't make anything as modules. Now boot. It'll boot faster, run faster, and be far more enjoyable.
Why start and use things that you don't need? No printer, why CUPS or lpd? No SMB network, why samba? Do you really need/want Apache, MySQL, pcmcia services (on a desktop), etc, etc, etc, if you just want a fast running machine? Nope.
Most distros have fallen into the Microsoft way of thinking. Go ahead, start up as much crap as you can. They use might use it someday (or probably won't). If it's slow, they'll buy a bigger, faster computer.
The biggest reason for me to upgrade my home machines:
1) to support more drive space for things I work on.
2) to compile things faster
and very occasionally
3) Better video support for the games I occasionally play.
Again, that's Linux. I'm not part of that Windows gaming world, where you're almost expected to be running the latest/greatest hardware (and overclocking it at that) to play your games.
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Those must be some very special LiveCDs they offer.
Slackware on a machine is usually 50% or more faster than the fedora,redhat,mandrake
Please report to the following website: Gentoo Is for Ricers and join their well-informed masses.
"What do you think?" "I think 'What, do you think?!'"
"This distribution is popular with those who always count in binary, and are politically correct in a free software kind of way. Many are suspected of having been nursed on a TTY. Debian users take pride in the fact that their distribution is always several releases behind the latest version of the kernel, but makes up for that by being more difficult to install and use."
uh... no....
I use debian because it takes zero effort to upgrade packages - no BS, and if there's a change in the default /etc files, i have the option of keeping my old config or use the new package maintener's version. Unlike rpms, the debian packaging system doesnt just dump the files. it checks more than that.
I dont ever have to download ISOs and reinstall the OS from scratch.
There's also a lot less crap installed on my machine than distros like Mandrake or Redhat.
I dont have to worry about rpm packages breaking my system. Packages aren't outdated because I'm running unstable...
I actually find it quite easy to install with their newest installer
i'd rather spend time getting work done than wasting time configuring my system and updating broken packages. I don't want to read packages of documentation from linuxdoc. I just want things to work without the need of manually changing LD_LIBRARY_PATH or using a distro that comes with a beta version of gcc (redhat).
my blog
Inequality is unfreedom? Is "unfreedom" a word? You know, there might be a reason why a (frictionless system) breaks down into such equalities: some people are better at giving other people what they want better than others.
For instance, I frequent Chilies, and I love their food (from the choices to the results). It's not Le Bec Fin, but it's a decent place to grab a bite to eat (average $16-22). Contrast that with any number of diners out there, lacking in business. Foods not terribly good, prices are ok, not much of an atmosphere. You see, Chilies gives people what they want, and so they grow($$$). What you argue is that they should all grow, equally. It's so a antithetical to...life, that you would have to redesign the universe from the ground up to support it.
The rights given to you are simple: no matter how much property you accumulate (from nothing to a lot), you have the same rights to it. Live for yourself, and the universe will take care of itself.
Lastly, while capitalism achieves inequality (with some people rich, and some people poor), and socialism does create equality, it's not in the manner that you think. Socialism, after a run of many years, creates equality by MAKING EVERYONE POOR. The U.S.S.R (putting aside the political figures) may have been one of the most equal states to ever exist, but I doubt the people saw it as that.
I am John Hurt.