Why does MEPIS call itself Debian?
 

I can't quote my MEPIS's version number offhand, because I'm not in Linux, but why does the splash screen identify it as Debian? Does it have an inferiority complex about being MEPIS? (Hardly warranted.) And if I understand correctly, MEPIS isn't even completely Debian-based anymore, because the designers made it, or some component thereof, Ubuntu-based. (Or is that a rumor?)

P.S.: I thought about titling this post "URGENT" to be a smart aleck. It would be doubly funny in this case, because even disregarding those title guidelines, the post is not at all urgent.

It is an artifact left over from the original Debian code. That is, if they thought it was worth their time, the Mepis developers could probably hunt down the source of the splash screen and remove it. Still, that would accomplish basically nothing with regard to the performance of the distribution, so it is probably a very low priority--assuming anyoneone cares besides you. ;) :) FWIW, this is not only true of Linux. The same thing is true of embedded operating systems developed from Windows XPe. They look like Windows XP until the developers turn off the characteristic features--and it is difficult to turn some of them off.

The Developer of Mepis is Warren Woodford. Warren has always been very appreciative of the Debian team. He initially built his dream based upon the hard work of the Debian team. Until 6.0 he used the Debian repository but because Debian supports so many different architectures it is a very slow process at times. Ubuntu which is also based on Debian has money behind them in the form of Mark Shuttlesworth and they only support a few architectures so they have been upgrading Debian packages faster then Debian has been doing it so therefore Warren saw the benefit of switching to the Ubuntu repository but he still is a great supporter of Debian. Debian developed the Apt system of handling and installing packages. They take the source packages and compile them so that when they install they know what dependencies to install at the same time so it works. Even RPM based distros are using Debian's Apt-get installer to install their packages. Front-ends for Apt are Synaptic and KPackage. So if you use these then thank the Debian team ... Warren does!

Wayne

Yeah, but before Cogar implied that Woodford and co. can't spare the time to change their splash screen, I thought they would hardly be disrespecting Debian to make the screen say MEPIS. It could be subtitled "A Debian-Based Linux Distribution." I say that's respectful enough. I wouldn't like it that much if Windoze XP had a Windows 3.x splash screen, either. (Knowing Microsloth, I'm surprised it doesn't.)

Disclaimer: I can indirectly say I like Debian as much as anyone, because my favorite distro, Knoppix, is Debian-based; so is MEPIS, my second choice, and Xandros, my third.

I'm not sure what are you talking about, my guess is that you upgraded from Debian pool (if you use something earlier than 6.0) and that upgraded kderc file so it reverted to default, the default says "Debian" because it comes from Debian pool -- it's a Debian package. Did you upgrade KDE or KDM?