1) Are their hardware detection capability and driver support the same?

2) Are other debian-based distro just a re-packaging of software?

Thanks !

I don't know all the technical details, because I'm a newbie myself and also not a programmer, but, as far as I can tell, the difference has to do with:

hardware detection
community support
default applications
installation process

A couple of examples:

Knoppix has excellent hardware detection.
Mepis comes with a ton of apps; Ubuntu comes with only a few apps.
Mepis has a graphical installer; Ubuntu and Debian have text-based installers.
Ubuntu uses its own repositories. Mepis and Xandros can use Debian repositories reliably.
Linspire can't use apt-get or dpkg reliably--it has its own packaging system.
Most Debian-based distros come with a default KDE desktop. Ubuntu comes with a default Gnome desktop.

So, in the end... there's not that much of a difference, but there's enough to matter to some people.

Thanks for sharing

Does better hardware detection capability comes with newer kernel (Knoppix has newer kernel than Sarge), or is the hardware detection capability handled by a module? If better hardware detection is made possible with the installation of a package, would it be possible to install that package with the original debian distribution?

ie. What are the factors/components/modules that affect the different hardware detection capability among the different debian-based distro?

Thanks !

That I don't know. Someone else want to answer that question?

The hardware detection is not just as a result of a new kernel, but hardware detection tools built by the various distro maintainers.

Actually, both Ubuntu and Debian come with Synaptic, which is a graphical installer. The initial install with Debian Sarge is also a graphical installer.

Hum, I am not quite sure you are right here. Debian Sarge comes with a text-based installer, as has
been said.
Synaptic installs packages but does not install the distro itself.

When I installed Debian Sarge, it had a text-based installer, but I installed it when it first came out. Has it changed since?

And, yes, I was talking about the installation of the distro itself, not of packages using Synaptic Package Manager.

No, it hasn't. There are more helpful 'tips' and some more configuration options, such as configuring a proxy, but that's all. It is quite easy to use, IMO.

AFAICT knoppix uses these for hardware detection:
ii hwsetup 1.0-14 Automatic hardware setup using the kudzu library
ii kudzu-knoppix 1.1.3-3 The Red Hat Linux hardware probing tool.
ii kudzu-knoppix-dev 1.1.3-3 Hardware detecting library
ii kudzu-knoppix-vesa 1.1.3-3 Hardware detecting library

Having a text-based installer is not IMO worse than having a gui-installer. Debians installer does look sort of graphical anyway with ncurses. The only difference is that you don't use a mouse during the installer.

Another difference is knoppix is a mixed sourced system.Mepis is based on etch Kanotix is based on sid,Unbuntu bases there sources on there own system and unbuntu I believe has a different file structure although not far off.

As for hardware detection Kanotix uses kudzu Im not sure if the others do too.

1. Knoppix has a newer kernel and has been heavily patched to support laptops and such. And it uses kudzu for hardware detection, which appears to work well. It would seem to be a good choice for a desktop install, which it is indeed capable of.

However, with its mixed bag of software, I've tried it and found it difficult to maintain an updated Knoppix system. I believe it was built and meant to be a live CD. Feel free to try it out; there is an excellent forum for support.

2. Yes, other distros repackage and make custom binaries. Some will work with Debian repos, but there is no guarantee. The only reason I would ever consider a derivative is if I wished for bleeding edge or was a complete technoboob, which in the latter case I think I would consider simply buying a pre-installed system.

I mean, really ... why would one pay for a packaged product when you can buy a cheap install disk from LinuxCD? Give your $50 to Debian instead. If you still find Sarge difficult to install, try Debian Pure.

I not arguing that derivatives are bad but rather point out the benefits, to more uniformed readers, of running pure Debian. Once you have Debian installed once, that's it. You have a wealth of packages to choose from of high quality with infinite upgradeability. Debian will always exist because it is a community project and non-commercial, Can derivatives promise this? Perhaps it seems always a step behind more high profile distros, but stability has always been a Debian priority. (I can break a distro on my own, thank you.)

To cap my rant, I predict that two packaging models will emerge and dominate, especially amongst commercial ISVs: RPMs for Red Hat, and Debian debs. Every other distro will have to be compatible or risk being marginalized. So, I predict eventually every derivative will at least support binaries of the latest Debian stable release anyway.

My point? Learn Debian now. You won't be disappointed.