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by bayindirh 2676 days ago
That's a nice feature. However, it also shows the stark difference between Debian and Ubuntu rather well. Debian's minimal installation is ~500 package install with no desktop environment and anything. Just a base installation with enough utilities to install the remainder according to requirements.
2 comments
e12e 2676 days ago
The equivalent for Ubuntu is Ubuntu server: https://help.ubuntu.com/lts/serverguide/installing-live-serv...

Fwiw I agree that the default Ubuntu desktop is a little heavy - but I also realize I'm not the typical target user.

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isostatic 2676 days ago
I use xfce ubuntu on the desktop, but the vast majority of machines we have (c. 2500) are servers, which by default doesn't even install sshd.

Compared with a "minimal graphics" centos server build I did - which required a mouse to install the thing, I think I know where "little heavy" lies.

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bayindirh 2676 days ago
Yes, I know. But it also comes with little advertisements of "Canonical Landscape".

The thing I like about Debian is everything is inside a single ISO, and it's still an independent Linux distribution. FWIW, I don't like to use a distribution made by a for-profit company.

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PopsiclePete 2676 days ago
For whatever unknown reason suspend/resume was completely broken on my laptop with vanilla Debian and works mostly ok with Ubuntu. Stock XPS 9350 Dev. Edition. Trackpad driver was also the wrong one, but easy to fix.

Ubuntu feels more polished out of the box for me on a laptop but a stripped down Debian can’t be beat for servers.

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bayindirh 2676 days ago
> For whatever unknown reason suspend/resume was completely broken on my laptop with vanilla Debian and works mostly ok with Ubuntu.

One of the downsides of the Debian is, its stable branch is very slow, and generally very outdated for desktop use. For a more "rolling" and modern release, which is more suitable for desktop/laptop usage, Debian testing is more preferable. While it's called testing, it is as stable as Ubuntu stable.

> Ubuntu feels more polished out of the box...

That's a fair point, and since Ubuntu is a desktop first bistro, that's expected.

> ...a stripped down Debian can’t be beat for servers.

When setup right, a Debian box is a set-and-forget it affair. I personally lost a server in the system room since it was working as it should and the hardware didn't die. :D

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