[ltp] Xubuntu vs Ubuntu

[Robert Tomsick]

On Fri, 2010-02-26 at 13:39 +0000, Simon Royal wrote:

> I am new to Linux and would prefer a buntu based distro rather than a
> Debian. Maybe when I get a bit more confident I would try Debian.

Fair enough.  That said, I think a lot of people fear Debian
unnecessarily.  If you're comfortable with Ubuntu, then Debian Stable
really won't be that unfamiliar.  It's not as though it's a harsh,
arcane, do-it-all-yourself distribution; all the tools you already use,
ranging from the fancy GUI configuration utilities to the venerable
apt-get and Synaptic are alive and well.

A couple years ago, I wouldn't recommend Debian as strongly as I do now,
as its slower release cycle meant that users really would have missed
out on many of Linux's recent developments.  But as of the latest stable
release, it really is quite a competent, fairly easy-to-use distro for
desktop usage.

You can do the same thing with Ubuntu (do a minimal install and start
stripping away / adding stuff) and eventually you'll get to the point
where you would be with a custom Debian install -- only without the
quality, stability, and long-term support that Debian stable has to
offer.

Just my $0.02.

Good luck with whichever distro you may choose!

-Rob