SimplyMEPIS, a very popular desktop Linux,
is going to change back to using Debian Linux for its core from Ubuntu. In March of 2006, MEPIS founder Warren Woodford, decided to switch to Ubuntu from Debian for the next version of SimplyMEPIS, version 6.0. The plan was to use Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Service), a.k.a. Dapper Drake, as MEPIS' foundation. Things have changed.
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Member since:2005-10-17
Member since:2005-11-10
Member since:2006-09-01
I think he even hit on something important that's missing from even cutting edge Ubuntu, which is the ability to update to externally stabilized code bases (like Firefox and OpenOffice.org).
In Ubuntu, the version of Firefox, OO.org, Pidgin, etc. are all tied directly to the release version of those apps, and the release version of Ubuntu. When it comes time to upgrade to Firefox three, it will likely take a whole distro upgrade to get that, instead of just updating the major upstream vetted version of Firefox by itself.
It would be nice to get stable releases from external sources more easily in Ubuntu than having to wait for the next distro upgrade.
I suppose Mozilla could set up an apt-repo for that matter (others too).
Member since:2006-01-16
Yes that's right. Some software just isn't meant to be blocked by package managers. You can get some things from http://www.getdeb.net but the quality varies. I think some programs should either be put into a special category for updating, or simply, users should get an easy option to switch sources of packages to get latest versions.
Eg: nvidia drivers or openoffice is a nice example.
Member since:2005-11-10
But one thing that may be a good in intended side effect of not being able to install things willy nilly is that security stays at a higher level.
So you can't just rush out and go to the next released version of something. Yet they do provide security patches etc for the current released version (Of say Firefox)
Hummmm, interesting.
Member since:
2005-11-10
Yeah, Ubuntu doesn't seem to have anything in the middle. 6.10 LTS is frozen and 7.04 is cutting edge. 6.10 is good for servers and office workstations cause you know it's solid. But you can't install newer applications and they are not providing newer applications so I think on servers where you don't have to change a lot.
(Like I use 6.10 for my mail servers cause all I have on them is mail and unless my mail software has a major upgrade I almost never have to make changes to the base OS.)
It would be cool if they could figure out a middle road where they could have a stable almost frozen secure base like 6.10 that could run newer apps like 7.04!
That would be magic! LOL!