Debian VS Ubuntu

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 20 Dec 2008, 16:04

I really liked Ubuntu when i had it installed, I tried Debian but it was kind of bland, but am guessing that is because it has better performance. From what I have seen they are both kind of simular, but which one is better and why? thanks

skip · Post by **skip** » 20 Dec 2008, 22:24

This is from wikipedia.

Ubuntu packages are based on packages from Debian's unstable branch: both distributions use Debian's deb package format and package management tools, APT and Synaptic, although Debian and Ubuntu packages are not necessarily binary compatible with each other, and may need to be rebuilt from source.[14] Ubuntu cooperates with Debian — to some extent pushing changes back to Debian,[15] although there has been criticism concerning lack of occurrence.[16] Many Ubuntu developers are also maintainers of key packages within Debian. However, Ian Murdock, the founder of Debian, criticized Ubuntu packages for incompatibilities with Debian, saying Ubuntu had diverged too far from Debian Sarge to remain compatible.

Many distributions are based on Debian, including Ubuntu, MEPIS, Dreamlinux, Damn Small Linux, Xandros, Knoppix, Linspire, sidux, Kanotix, and LinEx, among others.

I think debian is better than ubuntu coz some distrubutions are based on debian. I think debian is much more better than ubuntu. Some servers are on debian, i dont know if some are using ubuntu as server(i mean big companies). Thats just my opinion, im not a linux expert. And they say that ubuntu is for newbies, and im using it so i'm a newbie. Its more of a GUI OS.

sudo apt-get beer && sudo apt-get laid

Post by **bad_brain** » 21 Dec 2008, 05:54

it depends a little on your hardware, Debian is a strict open source distro, so if a hardware driver is not available as open source it is not included in Debian....this can lead to problems sometimes and you might have to install the drivers manually. Ubuntu is not that strict and includes non-free drivers in their distributions, so the chances that everything will work out of the box after the install are better.

Ubuntu also uses more up to date program versions than Debian, but this don't necessarily have to be an advantage....the reason why Debian is using older program/package versions is that it is geared towards the most possible stability, the background is that Debian is widely used on servers where stability is much more important than having the newest program versions.

so if you want to run a desktop system for home use you can either go for Ubuntu or use the Debian testing branch (Lenny), it is also very stable already and the packages are more up to date than on the Debian stable branch (Etch)...Lenny will be released next year as stable branch anyway and will replace Etch then.
but if you want to run a server system I recommend to use Debian Etch, simply because it is very stable.

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 21 Dec 2008, 13:04

Thanks for the information, Im thinking since i have two pc's i am going to switch the other one to linux so i can learn more for the first linux cert. Part one does not look like it is that hard to get..

Junior Level Linux Professional (LPIC-1)

* Status: Available now. First published January 11, 2000; latest revision published August 2006
* the first IT certification program to be professionally accredited by National Commission For Certifying Agencies (NCCA )
* Pre-Requisites: None
* Requirements: Passing Exams 101 and 102
* Overview of Tasks: To pass Level 1 someone should be able to:
o Work at the Linux command line
o Perform easy maintenance tasks: help out users, add users to a larger system, backup & restore, shutdown & reboot
o Install and configure a workstation (including X) and connect it to a LAN, or a stand-alone PC via modem to the Internet.

For this im guessing i should go with Debian, since i will have to work at the command line more. So if i understand correctly I just need to pass two test the 101 and 102 tests to receive the LPIC-1 cert correct?

Post by **bad_brain** » 21 Dec 2008, 13:48

Still_Learning wrote: For this im guessing i should go with Debian, since i will have to work at the command line more. So if i understand correctly I just need to pass two test the 101 and 102 tests to receive the LPIC-1 cert correct?

yeup!

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 21 Dec 2008, 13:59

Its confirmed.. I am installing Debian Etch today on my other pc

thanks B_B

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 21 Dec 2008, 16:51

ok I went to Debians site and tried to download it via torrent, but looked at the list and it said 21 cd's or 3 dvd's.. is this correct?

Code: Select all

http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/4.0_r5/i386/bt-cd/

I really need 21 cd's to install Debian?

rob33n · Post by **rob33n** » 22 Dec 2008, 05:21

no you dont need to download 21 cd's. you can install dvd or netinstall cd.

Post by **bad_brain** » 22 Dec 2008, 05:35

yeah, if you have an internet connection during install I recommend the netinstall CD....works usually fine if your computer is connected via NIC and router to the net, but might cause problems when you are using a modem connected via USB, WLAN connections are not working for this.
I am not sure about this for Etch because I always do the netinstall, but for Sarge you only needed the 1st DVD for a full setup with Gnome.

here you can find the Etch netinstall CD image:
http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/

Lyecdevf · Post by **Lyecdevf** » 22 Dec 2008, 05:51

I have never done a net install because most linux distros come on a single CD or DVD. I am going to have to try this out if I want to install Debian on my system!

Post by **bad_brain** » 22 Dec 2008, 06:06

I am too lazy to download the DVDs and always do netinstalls for both Etch and Lenny, with a 2MB connection (equals about 250kb/s download) it takes less than 1 hour for a full install of a Gnome desktop system....

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 22 Dec 2008, 22:32

bad_brain wrote: here you can find the Etch netinstall CD image:
http://www.debian.org/CD/netinst/

thats exactly what i need then

sounds much easier, thanks

Post by **bad_brain** » 23 Dec 2008, 06:36

one tip for installing Debian:
when you are prompted for the environment you want to install (Desktop, web server, database server, mail server, etc.) make sure to PRESS THE SPACEBAR to mark the entries (navigate up/down with the arrow keys) you want to install, when done press <return>.
the reason why I say this is that beginners usually press <return> in order to mark the entries, but this will simply start the install procedure and will not set a mark....happened to me too at the beginning, so I thought it might be good to mention it...

Post by **pseudo_opcode** » 23 Dec 2008, 16:11

again late on this..
Personally, i feel if i need a linux for something like my laptop, i'll go with ubuntu, because the manual configuration required is less, and mostly i've found that things work right out of the box, the ubuntu repos have more apps than debian's. But that's again because of the Debian's "free software" policy, but man i dont really care if my drivers are free or non free as long as they make my hardware work(just an e.g.).

Another thing about ubuntu is excellent support, i find this crucial for not so experienced linux users, apart from your problems getting solved faster you learn a great deal of stuff,tips, tricks which you may find handy. Ubuntu has excellent forums and IRC.

For servers i'll prefer debian over ubuntu for its stability, now i have seen a lot of ubuntu servers so its not like there are no ubuntu servers out there.

Still_Learning · Post by **Still_Learning** » 23 Dec 2008, 23:10

Nice.. I have tommarow and Christmas off of work, so this will be my project setting up a debian server. Any tips? I will probuly want to create a ftp, guess i will need a SQL server and http server and then secure it. Shit maybe i will start a hosting company, this dude at my job said he wants to help me sell websites, i told him 100 to 200 per a page depending on the complexity of it, and i would give him a 25% commission. so 5 page site 200$/page = 750$ would take maybe 2 days to build. then charge them 12.99$ a month to host it.

Installed it with LVM encryption.. whatever that is, got error "GDM could not write to your authorization file. This could mean you are out of disk space or that your home dir could not be opened for writing. In any case it is not possible to login. Please contact your sys admin"

I am trying to install it on a 40GB hd, how much space do you need? i know it was like 3 dvd's so it cant be over 15GB right? not sure but i am going to do a boot and nuke, then try and reinstall