[kwlug disc.] All of you Ubuntu people

[Rick]

Andrew Kohlsmith <akohlsmith-kwlug at benshaw.com> writes:
> Ubuntu has quite a support network.

This is excellent news because it means that I can feed my bug reports
into a system that can make good use of these bug reports.

In previous posts, Rick wrote:
> My Debian install is actually a version of Knoppix
> and I have done a couple of "apt-get upgrade" operations.
...
> Ok, let me advance a hypothesis.

To be clear, the root of my mistaken hypothesizing about Ubuntu
came from:

  (1) misinterpreting various comments in previous postings
  (2) projecting my experiences with upgrading a Knoppix
       harddrive installation (which is discouraged)

Anyway, I'm glad that I did advance this hypothesis
and thanks for correcting my misconceptions.
I now see that I made an unintended slander against Ubuntu.
I'm keen to avoid the repeating the mistake that I made with Knoppix.

I want to install many kinds of user apps, including the latest upgrades.
I especially like games and tools for media creation/manipulation
and Python programming. In contrast to my interest in user apps,
I have a just-in-time approach to learning systems-level information.

In many ways, the batch of packages from Knoppix (and now Ubuntu)
just made more sense for me than going through a Debian/Slackware/etc
learning curve. I learned (and forgot) this kind of stuff when at school.
I'd rather spend my time with high-level user-apps or with Python-scripting
or just watching movies and reading books and talking to people.

> And if I really have to be sneaky, I can carefully post in #debian, keeping
> the name of the actual distro on the down-low... There are many times where I
> need to post a question to a very large audience and don't want to trip off
> the "oh it's not my distro, I'm not going to help" types, as their
> personalities are infectious.

Yes, I have been there. In the past, I had tended to hit #linux first
but the most serious knowledge was always in #debian.
And, more seriously, I was frustrated because I couldn't contribute back
because I'm running a 20 month old Knoppix-install.
More and more, over time, I just stopped going to #debian.

Anyway, you got me curious so I checked IRC just now:
#ubuntu is _quite_ active and #debian is almost dead.
Hmm, this is evidence that I _can_ get more support
within the Ubuntu community than the Debian community.
I can just go to #ubuntu and needn't even be "sneaky" anymore
as I once was with Knoppix.

> Ubuntu contributes a LOT back to Linux in general, and contributes
> directly to Debian by way of additional testing, package maintainers
> and sheer mindshare. Ubuntu and Debian are not that different.  In
> fact they're hardly different at all.

Ok, with your information and my investigations,
I have shifted my position enough to venture
more (possibly ill-fated) hypotheses:

   Ubuntu currently has the momentum of growth.

   Ubuntu is absorbing the Debian community
     and becoming the natural successor to Debian.

(Sort of like the shift of power from the British Empire to the US.)