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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Why is Debian always left out of the distro recommendations? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 3 days ago by UnfinishedProjects@lemmy.zip to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I distro hopped for a bit before finally settling in Debian (because Debian was always mentioned as a distro good for servers, or stable machines that are ok with outdated software)

And while I get that Debian does have software that isn't as up to date, I've never felt that the software was that outdated. Before landing on Debian, I always ran into small hiccups that caused me issues as a new Linux user - but when I finally switched over to Debian, everything just worked! Especially now with Debian 13.

So my question is: why does Debian always get dismissed as inferior for everyday drivers, and instead mint, Ubuntu, or even Zorin get recommended? Is there something I am missing, or does it really just come down to people not wanting software that isn't "cutting edge" release?

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[–] oscardejarjayes@hexbear.net 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's not user-oriented the way the distros based on it are. apt is mediocre and slow compared to a lot of other distros package managers.

The out of date software is really important for new users for one big reason, and that's hardware compatibility. Arch Linux, especially with AUR DKMS, can work with basically anything supported by Linux. Debian will struggle with anything sorta new. Having on old kernel, like Debian does, is one of the worst things a distro can do, for performance, for compatibility, and more.

Their software is also actually super duper out of date, too. To the point where KDE on Debian and Kubuntu is several versions out of being supported. A lot of software developers are sick of people reporting fixed issues because the user is using Debian, so they tell them to use a more up to date distro.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago

Also has to be said that KDE on those slower-moving distros is actually buggier than on up-to-date distros. I have to use Kubuntu LTS at work and it has so many more glitches and crashes compared to openSUSE Tumbleweed and NixOS on my personal laptop.