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Debian + Openbox = CrunchBang Linux (Video)

Posted by Roblimo on from the a-derivitive-distro-that-sounds-fun-and-useful dept.

"CrunchBang Linux is a Debian based distro with the Openbox window manager on top of it. So it is Debian under the hood with Openbox on the surface," says distro supporter Larry Cafiero. A glance through the #! (CrunchBang) forums showed an exceptionally fast response rate to problems posted there, so even if you haven't heard of #! (it's not in the DistroWatch Top 10), it has a strong and dedicated user community -- which is one of the major keys to success for any open source project. In order to learn more about #! Linux (and to share what he learned), Timothy Lord pointed his camcorder at Larry during LinuxFest Northwest and made this video record of their conversation.

6 of 106 comments (clear)

  1. Crunchbang is pretty decent by Nimey · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For a lightweight distro, it's pretty well thought-out and has some nice extras over a default Openbox install, plus the devs understand the concept of "discoverability" in that they have a list of keyboard shortcuts in the top-right by default. Unlike lighter distros, it's not crippled by being limited to whatever the devs and community can package up or you compile on your own (like, say, DSL or Puppy) since it's backed by the Debian archive.

    This distro will work a treat for your old Pentium III laptop.

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    1. Re:Crunchbang is pretty decent by Hatta · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Unfortunately, he didn't really answer the major question. What makes Crunchbang different from Debian + Openbox? There's a script that provides some "special sauce". Ok, but as a user what does that script actually do for me? It "installs different programs", but what programs are those, and why can't I just pipe a list of packages into 'dpkg --set-selections' to accomplish the same thing?

      Major missed opportunity by the Crunchbang devs to actually explain what distinguishes their distro. I am their target audience and I still have no idea what they have to offer over what I have currently.

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  2. Re:Well... by elwin_windleaf · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'd say it was definitely an isolated occurrence. I use Crunchbang on all of my machines, and have found the community surrounding the distro to be very friendly whenever I've popped into the forums. I was able to meet Phil and Becky Newborough at a barcamp a couple years ago as well, and they're one of the nicest couples you could have at the forefront of your distro. :)

  3. No... Debian + Openbox == Debian + Openbox by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "CrunchBang Linux is a Debian based distro with the Openbox window manager on top of it. So it is Debian under the hood with Openbox on the surface,"

    So why should I install CrunchBang Linux instead of, say... I don't know ... Debian pure blend Wheezy with Openbox?

    At least I (and DistroWatch) have heard of Debian.

  4. Re:New distro? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    All a distro is just a specific collection of software/packages that is given a name.

    That's it and by that definition...this is a distro. Pretty simple.

    Crunchbang like many other distros is in fact more than that. It is a collection of packages and customizations to those packages...AND the accompaning community of developers and users....that come together to make a distro unique.

  5. Re:New distro? by VortexCortex · · Score: 4, Funny

    How is does using a new WM make a different distro? If I take Fedora and replace the default shell with zsh, can I call it Gothmollix?

    All a distro is just a specific collection of software/packages that is given a name.

    That's it and by that definition...this is a distro. Pretty simple.

    Crunchbang like many other distros is in fact more than that. It is a collection of packages and customizations to those packages...AND the accompaning community of developers and users....that come together to make a distro unique.

    Crunchbang Shill!
    Fess up. How much free software are they giving you to get you to post this stuff?

    And, yes, you can call your distro "Gothmollix", you don't even have to replace any of the inards if you want, just the name. If you're distributing it, it's a distribution AKA "Distro".