Linux Mint Based On Debian Released - And It's A Rolling Distribution!

I wonder how both Debian Testing and Mint Debian will work for users as rolling releases. For instance, how often do you have to dist-upgrade as opposed to regular ol' upgrade? And will the Mint spin take care of that?

Mint is about the only distribution I really enjoyed (together with Sabayon) in the last 5 years I think. It just worked out of the box, while most of the other ~10 distributions I tried all proved problematic at some point.

@Jeff91:

Binary compatible with Debian? How would such a thing be possible for a rolling release? Or is it me being ignorant?

I mean, if some binary works for Debian Stable, does it also work for Debian testing?

To be honest, I don't have much experience with binaries, except for OOo and FF. Even without binaries, dependencies in rolling release distributions can be problematic though. Try to compile KDE from source and you'll learn...

@steven, with debian testing there is no dist-upgrade it just keeps chugging along. Thats the point of 'rolling'.

@hkwint, as ubuntu consists primarily of debian unstable, with packages renamed/rebranded, as long as you avoid system packages (where ubuntu has played some hijinks) they pretty much are binary compatible.

Quoting:@azerthoth: ... saying that it's Ubuntu plus codecs is not all that far off the mark.

Speaking as a DebianNazi, I consider it Debian done right, sans the Ubuntu "dumbing down." Not that Debian's not done it right, of course, and there's lots I like about what Ubuntu has done. Not all.

I too am rolling out a laptop for my Mom running Mint, and it looks pretty damned promising. I've wanted to try this for years. A kitchen workstation/multimedia wifi enabled entertainment centre that my Mom can drag anywhere in the house, and about which I'll not need to worry.

Best part is, step-dad found this thing in a bag in the alley. :-)

Quoting:Best part is, step-dad found this thing in a bag in the alley. :-)

A long, long time ago, people used to say "It fell off a truck."

Only you can't use a computer that fell off a truck.

Quoting:A long, long time ago, people used to say "It fell off a truck."

That meant stolen. I've heard plenty of stories about people recycling computers that were literally thrown away. I think (or at least hope) that is what tqk means.

tqk I cant tell if you agree, disagree, or just had a blather that boiled over ...

I'm also, as always, dismayed by the casual use of the term "Nazi". Somehow I don't think tmq has any involvement with genocide or warfare... Cheapening the term that way is not a good thing.

Quoting:Speaking as a DebianNazi, I consider it Debian done right, sans the Ubuntu "dumbing down." Not that Debian's not done it right, of course, and there's lots I like about what Ubuntu has done. Not all.

Gee for a Debian Nazi, you're sure prepared to give other distros an awful lot of leeway.

Quoting:I'm also, as always, dismayed by the casual use of the term "Nazi". Somehow I don't think tmq has any involvement with genocide or warfare... Cheapening the term that way is not a good thing.

+1

Only you can't use a computer that fell off a truck.

Yes you can, if it fell really soft. There are people who are really good at making them fall really soft.

Or so I hear...

h

Actually, some of the really hardened systems that some government agencies or departments use probably would work fine after they fell off a truck, depending on how fast the truck was moving.

@helios: I started my career working for a company in the freight transportation industry near Kennedy Airport in New York City. I think I can assure you that many things that fell off trucks did so very softly indeed.

LOI...I drove a truck for a number of years and I can not recount the number of people who approached me as waited to be unloaded, with big screen TV's, computers...even had a guy offer me a full living room suite.

Oh, and charge me with the TOS...I started it.

Sorry...

Southbound... Southbound... got ya ears on? Be advised 'bout a pair o' county mounties comin' up on your side, past the fifty-four yard stick ...

:) Hitch-hiked around the US in 1996 - I know all about truckin' :P

> I've heard plenty of stories about people recycling computers that were literally thrown away.

My server was trash-picked. Works just fine, but as a 1GHz I have given up using it as a video media server. Works great for everything else.

> Somehow I don't think tmq has any involvement with genocide or warfare... Cheapening the term that way is not a good thing.

John Stewart had something wonderful to say on that point:

http://www.politics.com/video/74f454583d76/daily-show-jon-st...

@Bob_Robertson: I get a 404 error when I click on that link.

@cailyn:

Quoting:I've heard plenty of stories about people recycling computers that were literally thrown away. I think (or at least hope) that is what tqk means.

That is what I meant. It was found in a decrepit computer bag in an alley. It may previously have been stolen and abandoned, or its owner just couldn't deal with the failing hd.

BTW, sorry for trivializing the name of one of the most criminally murderous organizations in history. Not intended. Debianista then?

@azerthoth:

Quoting:tqk I cant tell if you agree, disagree, or just had a blather that boiled over

I've used all of them in my work successfully, so I really can't see any reason to be cheering for one over the other. For my own systems, I like the Debian and its downstreams.

Caitlyn,

Sadly, it's not on YouTube either. Shucks, it was an excellent commentary by Stewart, right on the money. Beautifully said.

Found it:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-june-16-2005/a-relativ...