On Sun, 13 Mar 2011, Mike Miller wrote: > When I see people calling it "noob"untu, I think they are trying to tell me > they are more experienced users who don't need an easy-to-use distro. I've > been using Unix and Linux systems for more than 20 years and I greatly prefer > something easy that requires almost nothing from me as a user. I've got a similar point of view. I've been using UNIX since well before Linux. When I started using Linux there /weren't/ distributions. We /had/ to do it all ourselves. You think Arch Linux is DIY, think again (; And hey - we loved it. If we didn't love it we'd not have done it, right? Nowadays I use Ubuntu. Why? Because I want to be able to just apt-get install firefox and GO. Because I want to apt-get install whatever I happen to need and go. Because, you know what? I don't /want/ to build my own kernels on my own desktop anymore. I want stuff running. Ubuntu is nice and straightforward to install, has relatively uptodate packages, and yeah, it /works/. However, if I /need/ to hack the thing to do what /I/ want it to do, Ubuntu is NOT going to stop me. As I've mentioned many many times, I can't STAND Gnome (and/or KDE for that matter). Ubuntu defaults to that. I don't. I default to Window Maker, and Ubuntu has no problem letting me do that. I also have three monitors connected to two video cards. Nowadays running "X" with no parameters at all /does/ actually let me use all of them but not the way I want, so I have my insanely customised x.org file (which used to be an XF86Config file!) and you know what? Ubuntu has no problem with that. People can call it 'noob'untu if they want, but it takes more than a well-managed distribution to keep power-users down. I used to know some people who were FreeBSD snobs. They considered Linux a 'weaker' UNIX-vaiant because we had packages. We had RPM and apt and yum and yast and whatever, but FreeBSD has 'make world'. You know what? I'm an experienced enough computer user to tell you that having packages built specifically for your distribution is FAR from a weakness, or a crutch. It's invaluable. Having a system that fits together as well as Ubuntu does just saves an INSANE amount of time, and effort, and work. Yes, I can spend the time building my own distribution from scratch, or starting with Arch Linux and going from there, and then my system will be PERFECT. Honestly, it takes less time to just tear out the pieces I don't want in Ubuntu and keeping the 95% that's great. -Yaron --