Published at LXer:

It's easy to see why Ubuntu is the chosen one (pun intended) - one only has to pop in a CD on any fairly modern PC and see the results. A graphical desktop is available for use fairly soon and anyone who wishes to take the next step and install the distribution has a very easy setup to follow. Of course, there are plenty of other distributions which are equally usable - Ubuntu just happens to be the one which is best-known.

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I read this article from a link on another Website. While I find myself in agreement with virually everything the author says, I can't help but feel that Ubuntu, Mephis, and the other derivatives are good for Debian in the long run.

I used to be a gung ho proselytizer but it didn't take me long to figure out that I was just too old and grumpy to deal with the constant eager young faces wanting to know why they were having trouble installing Stable on their fancy new computers with SATA drives and SLI Nvidia cards.

That sort of user should enjoy the hand-holding so cheerfully given to people without a clue by some of the derivatives, Linspire and Xandros included. Yes, I suggest that Newbies should pay for their first distro and take advantage of the support that such a decision signifies. So now, I tell people to use another one first ... Debian is just too complicated for the new Linux user. (Ha, ha!)

As time goes on, those who desire to use Linux seriously will start looking for a new distro, and where do you think they'll go. Home to Mama! Moving from a derivative to Debian Testing is just like that ... Coming Home.

Debian ... the distro we move to, not from.

I do not understand how the article's criticism of Ubuntu is valid. Microsoft is not on a tax-easy island or having a "humanity to others" logo but they are far more evil than all those who sell Linux, combined. Unlike Windows, Ubuntu and programs written for it have NEVER quit functioning and say, "Pay 30 dollars to keep this thing running or else."

Ubuntu is seems to be a very stable and easy to use distro as long as I don't do things like reinstall Xserver or install Beryl. It also kinda helps not to edit the repository list text file (that really f***ed my whole desktop up).

If the strangely paranoid author is rightly suspicious, and Canonical stops sending free CD's or whatever, then we will all just find a new distro. There's plenty of distros so there is not really any need to pick on the main distro that helps spread the use of GNU/Linux and free software.

While I do tend to agree a little with rickh, I agree a litle more with the article. A quick web search shows many blogs by developers that have issues with Ubuntu. Without Debian there would be no *buntu or of the other dozens of Debian derivative distros, that compose most of the top 20 at distrowatch.

The Linux Counter Machine Statistics page ( http://counter.li.org/reports/machines.php ) lists Debian as the most popular distro, although this is machines, not users, and of course only those that registered with the counter.

There are so many distros that are based on Debian that I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon, even if the majority of users end up using a derivative, and Debian exists as a base to those distros.(Which I don't see happening.)

Ubuntu has been the favorite of the week in the FOSS world, but not without cost. Debian project is struggling in crisis over the friction with Debian and Ubuntu communities. Debian developer Martin F. analyzes the situation and proposes some advises to Canonical/Ubuntu how to fix the awkward situation.
http://blog.madduck.net/debian/2006....ntu-and-debian

Distros like Knoppix, Kanotix, Sidux while not quite as popular as Ubuntu all contribute code changes back to Debian upstream.

One thing to keep in mind is that Debian and Ubuntu are pitched at very different audiences.

If you want to become a technical god, and learn the nuts and bolts of how linux works: choose Debian, and work within that community.

If you just want to use linux as a desktop, don’t really care about the technical challenges choose ubuntu, or one of the other many simple to install/use distros out there.

Either way in the long run it is all good for the linux community and for Debian.

Tried to find a way to send Craigevil this in a private (on forum) message, but if that functionality exists, I couldn't find it.

Thoughtful post above and the links are appropriate. MadDuck's last name should be included ... Martin F. Krafft ... Author of the book, The Debian System (which no serious student of Debian can do without) Evidently, there will not be an update of the book until Lenny goes stable.

I regularly read the Planet Debian consolidation of blogging done by Debian Developers ... Martin F. Krafft and Erich Schubert seem to me to be the voices of reason in the ongoing political uproars. The elections for Debian Project Leader are getting organized ... Sure would be nice to get such a person installed there.