[GRLUG] Suse10 - was Base to squadron...

[GRLUG general mailing list]

On Wed, Nov 30, 2005 at 09:01:47PM -0500, GRLUG general mailing list wrote:
> 
> That sounds fantastic.  I didn't know about the OpenSuSE project.  I still
> think I will switch to an apt based OS, like Ubuntu, some day when I am
> feeling ambitious.  I also agree with Dave that it is important to support
> opensource projects with donations.  Whenever I converse about opensource with
> people curious about it, I am sure to say something like, "that program is not
> free; it's opensource."  Part of the reason I am favoring apt is that the way
> I understand it, you can always update right from the repositories.  There is
> no need to reinstall, ever.  Am I correct?

Apt is the Debian tool for working with Debian's package format (.deb).
The tool is only as good as the repository.  If you are using Debian's
repository, you will not need to reinstall.  My current Debian install
is at least three years old (four?) and has been upgraded through both
Woody and Sarge, into today's "Testing".  There are other distributions
that use Debian's packaging system but rely on other repositories.
Knoppix, for example, uses a large number of non-Debian repositories.
Apt-get upgrading an installed Knoppix may or may not work and most
certainly will not work well.  The same goes for other Debian-based
distros.  It is my understanding (which may well be flawed) that Ubuntu
is not longer trying to maintain full compatibility with Debian's
repositories.  This means that upgrading Ubuntu may be a hit or miss.
Using Debian-based (but not fully compatible) distros is like using a
Rolex* knockoff; it may look like a Rolex and may function like a Rolex
but it ain't no Rolex (* insert favorite high-end watch brand).  I say
if you want Debian quality and Debian features, use Debian.
-- 
john-thomas
------
Men of genius are often dull and inert in society, as a blazing meteor
when it descends to earth, is only a stone.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet (1819-1892)