Re: linux distro recommendations?

[Eyolf Østrem]

On 08.05.2009 (09:56), Jonathan Kulp wrote:
> Does this mean that, for instance, Debian's repo will have more  
> up-to-date versions of things like texi2html and fontforge?  I've had  
> problems with outdated versions of certain packages on Ubuntu.  I've used 
> Ubuntu for 18+ months now, and it was my first Linux distro.  It was a 
> good way to get started because in general things just work.  I'm much 
> more advanced now and am considering something like Arch or Debian.  I 
> wiped my Windows partition yesterday (now I can't test any Lilypond  
> issues on Windows anymore...) to install xubuntu 9.04 and see if it's  
> ready to use as my main system yet, but I might turn right around and try 
> Debian on that partition.  I've been curious about it for a while.
>
> BTW I hear that Linux Mint (an Ubuntu derivative) is even more  
> noob-friendly b/c it contains all the proprietary drivers and media  
> codecs already and you don't have to go hunting around for them.  Grab  
> the (indecent) Live CD and give it a spin. ;)

My turn here. If up-to-date-ness is an issue, I'd like to suggest Arch
linux, which has been my loyal companion for four years, which is my whole
linux life minus two weeks. Now, Arch has a reputation for being the geeks'
distro, up there with gentoo and slackware, and VERY difficult and best to
stay away from if you're a noob. Well, I certainly was a noob (I had used
another debian-derivative for a few weeks first), but unless you're scared
of the command-line and text config files (which you're probably not if
you're using lilypond), there really is no problem, and Arch is ideal as a
way to learn the insides of linux, for two reasons: (1) it's based on the
KISS principle (Keep it simple, s...id): everything you need  in terms of
system configuration is there in sane text files, and (2) the community is
very qualified and friendly (I cringe everytime I stumble into a ubuntu forum).

Add to that the close-to-the-bleeding-edge policy (i.e. bleeding edge is in
"testing", while the stable repo is closer to the bleeding that in most
distros), and the rolling-release system (which means that your system is
always up-to-date - no need for reinstallation with every major release),
and the best package manager around, which makes it shamelessly simple to
build new packages, should the one you need not be in the official repos,
and the only thing  that would keep anyone away from arch is if they're
scared of the commandline or has some religious affiliation to some other
distro. :)

Seriously, though, I've had some issues over the years with packages which
hadn't spent quite as long as they should have in testing, but on the
whole it has been rock solid, and I've learned a lot.

Eyolf

-- 
Yes, I've now got this nice little apartment in New York, one of those
L-shaped ones.  Unfortunately, it's a lower case l.
                -- Rita Rudner