[Nottingham] Best distribution with apt for a newbie?

[Simon Huggins]

On Mon, Feb 02, 2004 at 11:46:56AM +0000, James Gibbon wrote:
> Simon Osborne wrote:
> > > Why not use Debian? :)
> > I tried it, but it didn't detect any of my hardware and the
> > command based install is way too difficult for me (I know next
> > to nothing about Linux)
> I found Debian to be something of a disappointment and certainly 
> wouldn't recommend it to a newbie.  It failed to recognise some 
> key bits of hardware and the install process was far too much 
> hassle, even for a Unix professional with ten years' experience.

See I came to Debian having suffered redhat pain around RH 5.2/6ish
having to grab RPMs of stuff I wanted from rpmfind and then trying to
install, discovering I didn't have the dependencies, trying to install
them, discovering I didn't have the dependencies of the dependencies...

I loved the Debian installer which let me go backwards and forwards in
the install process at will.  I've had issues with the initial flavours
of boot floppies not quite combining what I wanted always but I always
do a custom kernel install afterwards anyway and it's never stopped me
installing.

I haven't tried the new installer yet but I really should get around to
it.

I'm not sure what people mean by "not detecting hardware".  At install
time?  Afterwards?

If it's afterwards isn't that why you recompile kernels when you buy new
shiny toys?  And if it's during install then isn't that why you choose
the right boot floppies in the first place?

You read the installation guide first right? :-p

-- 
----------(   "But apart from the aqueduct, the sanitation   )----------
Simon ----(            and the roads..." - Python            )---- Nomis
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