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Old 04-27-2010, 01:58 AM   #1
aeternitas
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Registered: Sep 2006
Distribution: Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 LTS
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Finding an alternative to Ubuntu


Hello,

Looking to get some input on finding a distribution to move to from Ubuntu. Overall, there's some changes--mostly unimportant overall, but stick in my craw--on the horizon, and I'm looking for alternatives. I'm a casual user, only one using my machine, don't need anything extra-special...something that isn't extremely utilitarian from the get-go, and doesn't come loaded with a boatload of things I'll never use. I enjoy putzing around in a CLI, and I'm not opposed to having to get used to slightly different commands when using it (though I expect that, on the whole, most things will be the same).

I know, a little vague on what I'm looking for...best put, a stable system that doesn't require me to do TOO much, but lets me do what I want even if it means breaking things every once in a while. Any suggestions?
 
Old 04-27-2010, 02:41 AM   #2
business_kid
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Fedora, Red Hat, Debian, SuSE and every one of the (many) spinoffs. Some interesting ones

LFS - http://www.linuxfromscratch.org allows you to build your own. You download an instruction book, and find out what everything does.

Kevux - Unconventional uclibc based system ideal for small systems - it pushes that model to it's limits. Very secure for a number of weird reasons
 
Old 04-27-2010, 04:45 AM   #3
dv502
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Arch linux is an optimize i686 operating system. It runs very fast.

Arch installs a base system and you gradually build it from there. No compilation.

www.archlinux.org
 
Old 04-27-2010, 07:53 AM   #4
snowday
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Debian is basically a stable version of Ubuntu without the bizarre changes Ubuntu makes (buttons on the left, etc). Highly recommended.
 
Old 04-27-2010, 08:05 AM   #5
pixellany
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Quote:
Originally Posted by snowpine View Post
Debian is basically a stable version of Ubuntu without the bizarre changes Ubuntu makes (buttons on the left, etc). Highly recommended.
Au contraire!!! Debian is not a "version of Ubuntu"--stable or otherwise.

Debian came long before Ubuntu. Ubuntu (and some other distros) is based on Debian

"buttons on the left"---that's a function of the choice of desktop and how you set it up. Any distro can be configured to your liking.
 
Old 04-27-2010, 08:15 AM   #6
snowday
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pixellany View Post
Au contraire!!! Debian is not a "version of Ubuntu"--stable or otherwise.

Debian came long before Ubuntu. Ubuntu (and some other distros) is based on Debian
Oh dear, I was not suggesting otherwise

My sentence was meant to scan "Ubuntu is Debian with a bunch of bizarre changes, so if you dislike the Ubuntu-specific stuff, Debian is the obvious choice; Debian and Ubuntu are, basically, different versions of the same code, and provide the same functionality."

Quote:
Originally Posted by pixellany View Post
"buttons on the left"---that's a function of the choice of desktop and how you set it up. Any distro can be configured to your liking.
That is a good point... if the OP would elaborate on the "changes [that] stick in my craw" it might help us suggest alternatives. I am projecting my own "things I don't like about Ubuntu" onto the OP in the absence of specifics.

Last edited by snowday; 04-27-2010 at 08:26 AM.
 
Old 04-27-2010, 10:42 PM   #7
aeternitas
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Registered: Sep 2006
Distribution: Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 LTS
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Well, the main change coming up (it looks like in 10.10--not sure if it will be thrust into the upcoming LTS release at any point) is the change in disk space (and, if I recall, a few other) measurements--essentially, moving to using the SI prefixes (1 kB = 1,000 bytes) as opposed to more traditional usage (1kiB = 1,024 bytes). I know that, on the base level, nothing changes; but the math involved and the appearance of space does, and to me goes against tradition. But enough on that.

Other changes that have crept in, particularly between Jaunty and Karmic: the change to what is now the 'Ubuntu Software Center' is horrendous, you find something that you want to install, it installs it right then, rather than waiting for any later selections and doing it as one install job; the login screen not giving the option to ONLY type in username, rather than selecting from a list. Those are the main things that come to mind.

Functionally, most everything seems the same, though at times I've had some stability problems--some of it likely related to the fact that my hardware is a little behind the times, and I tend to run the system into the ground whenever possible.

I haven't toyed with Lucid yet to see if they've done anything with it that rubs me the wrong way (I'll be waiting for the release, because Beta and RC versions usually end up badly for me).
 
  


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