Debian dated? [was: Re: Announcement from www.kubuntu.de]

[Michael M.]

Daniel Carrera wrote:
> 
> Debian is a distro that tries to support all (free) packages more or 
> less equally. This has some benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, 
> Debian has a gazillion supported packages, and it supports 12 
> architectures. On the other, Debian is usually dated and less newbie 
> friendly.

I don't understand where the perception that Debian is dated comes from, 
unless you're referring exclusively to the stable branch.  That becomes 
dated because it doesn't change and nothing gets added except security 
updates.  And because Debian has (or has had, anyway) a longish release 
cycle in comparison with other distros.  But Debian's testing and 
unstable branches are as up-to-date as any distro, and currently more 
up-to-date than Ubuntu Breezy.  Isn't an Ubuntu release more-or-less a 
snapshot of Debian's unstable branch, with Ubuntu-specific 
customizations and configurations?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say Debian is better because it's 
more current or Ubuntu is worse because the packages available are 
older.  Each distro has its own strengths and purposes.  I just hear 
this claim oft-repeated as sort-of received opinion.  I used to presume 
it was true, until I started using Debian and realized it is just as 
current as anything else, and more current than many at any given time. 
  New and updated software usually hits Debian's unstable branch as 
quickly as it hits any of the reputedly "cutting-edge" distros, and 
depending upon the complexity, can make it into testing about a week 
later.  It takes longer for bigger, more complex packages like a desktop 
environment to transition into testing, but not so much longer that 
testing lags significantly behind other distros.

Comparing Debian's stable branch with most other distros isn't really 
apples-to-apples because stable is geared toward mission-critical uses. 
  The type of home users who are choosing between or trying out distros 
like Ubuntu, (open)SuSE, Gentoo, Fedora, etc., are not going to be 
running Debian stable.

-- 
Michael M. ++ Portland, OR ++ USA
"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions 
of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to 
dream." --S. Jackson