Originally posted by: Sureshot324
Originally posted by: drag
This is partially why it's retarded for Ubuntu to not bother with good Debian-compatability.
Installing firefox from Debian Sid should be dead easy, but there are pitfalls you have to be aware of because Ubuntu feels that since they are making something special that requires them to be incompatable.
Of course with Debian Sid I have all newer packages and software then what is avaible from Ubuntu, but thats besides the point I guess. :roll:
Hmm, I thought Ubuntu packages were basically debian packages anyway. It is my very limited understanding that ubuntu is basically just a refinement and simplification of the debian distro, being completely based on debian packages. Am I wrong?
Nope your pretty much right.
Why would debian packages be newer if they are pretty much the same thing?
Ubuntu takes a snapshot of Debian Sid to form it's basis..
Ubuntu is newer then Debian Stable, but by the time Ubuntu gets it's distro out the door Debian Sid has moved on.
But when it comes to package compatability you have to deal with keeping dependancies in sync (different programs can be compiled with different options for different dependancies and such). Also package names and versions as well as the locations of files can be inconsistant.
Debian has strict rules and policies governing all these things to make sure that packages are compatable and such, but even then there is still questions that are up in the air.
Ubuntu is of the opinion that in order to make a seperate distro you have to make some fundamental changes to the system and that basicly software compatability is unimportant. After all you have all of 'universe' which is ubuntu-ized debian packages and that should be good enough for anybody.
DCC (
http://www.dccalliance.org/) on the other hand is of a different opinion.(Xandros, Linspire, Knoppix) Progeny, one of the major backers of this 'DCC alliance' makes a living by taking Debian and repackaging it to fit specific roles.
Like if your building a embedded device, or want a corporate or school-specific distro for training or whatever reason, but lack the expertise to build and maintain your own distro you can hire Progeny to build it for your out of Debian. They beleive that you can take the 'Debian Core'.. That is the GNU/Linux portion of the system along with basic libraries and such and build unique-enough operating systems on that by adding your own 'componate'.
So in the future you should be able to build Linspire by installing Debian Stable and then installing the 'Linspire componate' over it and that would install all the linspire personality software.
So that way you acheive 2 goals:
1. A very high degree of software compatability between Debian-based distros. (to avoid what happenned to RPM-using distros; aka RPM hell)
2. Reduced costs by using software developed and tested by Debian instead of 'reinventing the wheel' to do the same thing yourself. (and Debian does a very good job of it)
Both the DCC and Ubuntu are right and wrong.. I feel that greater compatability is worth the difficulty. But that's just me. (you don't see me going around making the next 'ubuntu' do you?)
A successfull outcome of the DCC stuff depends greatly on Debian Etch becoming the next stable in a reasonable amount of time.. Which is something that historicly Debian has been VERY bad at. It appears that they are very serious about getting Etch frozen by next December, which is a remarkably short time to get a release out the door for Debian..
