Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

CrunchBang Linux Halts Development

Posted by Soulskill on from the all-good-things dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Philip Newborough, the developer behind CrunchBang Linux, has put an end to work on the distro. CrunchBang was built as a layer on top of Debian using the Openbox window manager that focused on performance and customization. Newborough says the changing landscape of Linux over the past decade has obviated the need for a distro like CrunchBang. "Whilst some things have stayed exactly the same, others have changed beyond all recognition. It's called progress, and for the most part, progress is a good thing. That said, when progress happens, some things get left behind, and for me, CrunchBang is something that I need to leave behind. I'm leaving it behind because I honestly believe that it no longer holds any value, and whilst I could hold on to it for sentimental reasons, I don't believe that would be in the best interest of its users, who would benefit from using vanilla Debian."

8 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Never heard of it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Number of Linux Distributions Surpasses Number of Users

  2. Well, that makes things better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Before this announcement:

    Newbie: "I hear about this Linux thing too. How do I get that?"
    Linux Advocate: "Well, you start by choosing from 10,294 confusing distros and dozens of different desktops..."
    Newbie: "Uh, I think I'll just choose Windows or Mac instead."

    After this announcement:

    Newbie: "I hear about this Linux thing too. How do I get that?"
    Linux Advocate: "Well, you start by choosing from 10,293 confusing distros and dozens of different desktops..."
    Newbie: "Uh, I think I'll just choose Windows or Mac instead."

    1. Re:Well, that makes things better by jedidiah · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There is nothing "super easy" about installing an operating system when it comes to your average n00b. They can barely handle a windows style installer or downloading things with a web browser.

      The only reason they can even run Windows is because it's pre-installed and they get plenty of free tech support from friends and family. The same goes for MacOS to.

      Besides, it's only trolls that are even aware of "1001 distros" anyways. Most normal people just focus on what the first page of a Google search would tell them.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:Well, that makes things better by fisted · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Have you installed Windows recently? OK, I haven't since Windows 7, myself, but that install just asked me for timezone, language, and maybe which keyboard I was using (but the default was right), and the rest was just "next, next, next" and that was it, it ran for a while and rebooted 2x and was done with no further input.

      So it's basically like the Debian installer, except for the part where you need two reboots (wth, seriously?).
      Not for nothing they say that a chicken could install Debian, provided there's sufficient grain on the enter key...

      --
      CLI paste? paste.pr0.tips!
  3. Could have profound purpose by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Insightful

    CrunchBang could have been the systemD-less distro, unlike Debian which is embracing that morass of bad engineering

    1. Re:Could have profound purpose by shadowknot · · Score: 4, Informative

      CrunchBang could have been the systemD-less distro

      Thankfully, for that we have Slackware.

  4. Re:Just started using it by e4liberty · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've been using it for years on a cheap Samsung Atom netbook. I like that it is svelt, has a nice minimalist look, and has great community support. I'm sorry to see it die.

  5. Re:Just started using it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've been a #! user for about 4 years now. I am sure that it will survive as a community-developed netinstall script. A lot tend to install it that way already. Here are a few of my thoughts why it was great:

    1. Forums. Almost completely asshole free. Very helpful to noobs without being patronizing. They helped me set up MPD when I was new. Rather than just treating me as a loser and recommended a bloated gui app, they helped. They also took the time to teach rather than just tell me what to do. I will forever be greatful to them. The Forum is the greatest legacy of #! and is going to stay around too.

    2. Lightweight. Openbox is extremely light on the system. #!'s default looks, keyboard shortcuts, and other config files were clean, well-documented, and saved a heck of a lot of work to set them up myself. It was as if the ideal system of my dreams were pre-configured. Sure it had a user interface from the early 1990s with more up-to-date visuals, but that's what I wanted back when Gnome3, KDE, and Unity were all forcing a new paradigm upon us.

    3. Minimalist in looks and function. Default apps were well-selected with little to no bloat. One tool per task. The interface is clean and simple, making the system about working rather than how pretty the widgets are or the cool transition animations.

    4.. Nice post-install script

    5. The stability and breadth of the Debian base.