[vox] A Criticism of Debian Testing

[David T. Harris]

You really shouldn't have to remove any currently
installed packages when you install any new packages
from an apt-get update - hence your missing package
shouldn't  ever go missing, really, unless when you
are trying to install a new application and apt-get
needed to remove your current application.  This way
you still get the latest cutting edge applications
without losing current packages.  I personally never
do an apt-get upgrade because the one time I did gnome
got totally messed up - and my brother put icewm in
and ugghhhh it was an even bigger mess (mainly because
I don't like icewm).  Ended up redoing the upgrade
because the whole thing was unsalvagable.

If you do ever have a missing package in Debian you
can probably find what they call a backport for the
package you're looking for - which is basically an
older version of an application.

As far as Ubuntu is concerned, I have actually heard
that it's Testing distribution's applications are more
stable than Debian's - anyone else heard this?    

--- Bob Scofield <scofield at omsoft.com> wrote:

> I realize that criticisms of Debian are unusual, but
> what the heck.
> 
> One of the greatest reasons to use Debian is claimed
> to be its great package 
> management system.  I agree with this.  And at my
> relatively low level of 
> computer expertise I have to say that Apt is what I
> like best about Debian 
> (aside from its Social Contract).
> 
> It seems that the greatest benefit of Apt comes in
> Debian's testing version.  
> That's because things like Open Office, Firefox,
> KDE, etc. are continually 
> being updated.  And unlike the case with the stable
> version, this updating 
> never stops.
> 
> But there is a big downside for this otherwise
> wonderful updating in testing.  
> It is the fact that some of my favorite applications
> get removed in the 
> upgrading process.  Examples are K3b and Digikam. 
> K3b just disappeared when 
> KDE was upgraded from 3.3 to 3.4.  I don't know when
> I lost Digikam, but I 
> assume it went during the KDE upgrade.
> 
> Digikam, and I believe K3b also, are available for
> both the stable and 
> unstable versions, but not testing.  I assume that
> these programs will move 
> from unstable to testing, but it is irritating to
> say the least to see these 
> programs simply disappear from one's computer.
> 
> Bob
> 
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> 



	
		
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