[conspire] Re: conspire Digest, Vol 17, Issue 12

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Ross Bernheim (rossbernheim at speakeasy.net):

> Agreed that there is nothing you can't get from one of the
> general-purpose images. The if is if you know what packages you want
> and or need.

I favour knowing (or finding out) what packages (or meta-packages) you
want and need.  ;->

> As to getting your arm twisted towards Gnome or KDE, for most desktop
> users with reasonably modern hardware and coming from either Mac
> or Windows platforms, they would choose one of these windowing
> systems.

I'll be there at their elbow saying "Those look pretty but suck somewhat
in a number of ways.  Consider trying something nicer and more
maintainable over the long term."

> As to the installer issue. Debian installer was until fairly recently
> been rather a pain.

Which of the dozens of diverse Debian installers are you speaking of?
Actually, that's a rhetorical question, so let's skip that and say that
it's time to correct your perception.  You'll find further information
in my knowledgebase's Debian category.

> If you fall within the profile for which Ubuntu and Knoppix are
> tailored for, they are a good choice.

You've pretty much attempted to define your terms to make this statement
come out true by definition, which is a pretty silly thing to do, and
not a really good use of your time or mine.

> Debian is a good choice for those who want more control over the
> installation process and package selection or want to use Linux for a
> different purpose than as a desktop operating system/program
> selection.

Here, you are evidently confusing Debian with one of its dozens of
installers.  That's why you're talking in circles and not getting
anywhere.