[ILUG] Going to try debian

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Niall Walsh (linux at esatclear.ie):

> Agreed!   I like testing, but it's not recommended for general use 
> because of the security updates.

The _automated_ security updates.  Security updates have always been
available for sarge packages; you merely aren't guaranteed to have them 
automatically flow into your system.

> If you want to recommend people run testing all the time, fine, I 
> don't!

I certainly do (with access to unstable packages, and "pinning" set to
favour testing) for desktop boxen.  Again, skim-reading DSAs (and acting
on them) isn't a hardship.  It's normal to expect to read (and heed)
security advisories, if you run Linux.

> I think this seems to be the only place in which our opinions diverge
> despite your assertions.

Fair enough.

> I think most people like being pampered.

It's nice.  It's _also_ the rare exception.  People who say [paraphrasing] 
"It's dangerous to run testing because you don't auto-receive security
updates" are suffering a serious failure of perspective

> Why complicate things?

To maintain, at the cost of only extremely low amounts of admin
attention, access to a more-reasonable selection of software than the
stable branch affords -- a drawback that is especially noticeable on a
desktop box.

> Which would pass the Granny test easier?

Win98.  ;->

> A:   Use testing, lose security updates when sarge is released
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

One last time:  I've had security updates on the testing branch for
years.  It's just not as completely automated as on the stable branch,
but still better than most Linux distributions in that regard.


> Irrational?

Mildly.