DebianPlanet: An Unbiased Review of Debian 3.0

"This is a critical review of Debian 3.0, but I want to say right from the start that I'm not trying to bait anyone. However I feel that reviewers often root for Debian as the open-source underdog, and give it marks which it doesn't deserve. If RedHat 8.0 came out with installation software like Debian 3.0 it would be savaged. I think it's time for an honest review, to spur the Debian developers into making the best possible distribution. I really want Debian to succeed. I want to use it daily, and recommend it to my friends. But I can't do that right now and I think it's important people understand why.

"My first experience of Linux came with a boxed version of SuSE 6.0, back in the middle of 1999 when Linux was starting to get noticed in a big way. The entire thing was a text-mode affair, powered by the venerable YaST version 1. I spent days just poring through the manual, trying to wrap my head around fdisk, and hoping it would all turn out okay. It did, and I never looked back. Six months later a version of RedHat (five point something or the other I think) was shipped with a magazine I bought, and I gave it a whirl. This too was backed with a text-based installer, but it was a lot easier to use than YaST. I didn't even bother with the documentation, I just slipped it in the CD drive and winged it. Shortly thereafter I tried the first version of Mandrake, which had pretty much the exact same installation process..

"The point of all this reminiscing is to show that I'm not a complete neophyte (though I'm nowhere near being a guru for that matter). Since then I've tried the RedHat and Mandrake graphical installs, and while RedHat is the one I like best, Mandrake has been the distribution I've stuck with solely because of drakconf and it's associated tools, which make configuring a Linux system a breeze. However lately I've been aspiring to ascend to guru status, or at the very least PFY, so I gave Debian a whirl. I have to admit I was disappointed both with the installation procedure and the finished system. In all my time with Linux, Debian's is the worst installer I've ever had to use..."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• Linux Journal: Debian on Steroids: Libranet 2.7(Oct 03, 2002)
• Washington Post: When Linux Met Laptop: Irreconcilable Differences(May 20, 2002)
• PC Magazine: "Choosing Linux"(Oct 28, 2001)
• Debian Planet: My Take on Progeny(Oct 03, 2001)