[mythtv-users] linux updates suck

[Brian Wood]

Dan Ritter wrote:
> On Sat, Sep 08, 2007 at 02:40:44PM -0700, Steve Peters - Priority Electronics wrote:
>> This is why I am so hesitant to do updates in mythtv. Why can't linux
>> updates go right...ever? This is probably the 20th time or so that I've
>> tried doing updates in linux over the past year, with a few different
>> distros even, and every single time, it seems like something that was
>> working just fine now no longer works and need fixing.
> 
> I have a box which got Debian 1.2 installed on it, many years
> ago. It now has Debian 4.0. Every single update and OS change
> was done with the standard tools, without taking the box down
> except for kernel changes, and with a minimum of fuss and
> bother.
> 
> If you really desire stability, Debian is the way to go. 
> 
> There are tradeoffs. One of them is a release cycle which
> doesn't make any guarantees whatsoever about when you'll get the
> next version. In the period between stable releases, a desktop
> user can (and usually will) start to feel that everyone else has
> cooler toys and features.

I agree that Debian is pretty much rock-solid stable, which is why I use
it for my mail servers.

(K)Ubuntu is Debian-based. My feeling is if you want to run Debian then
run Debian, not some GUIfied offshoot of it, but that's strictly a
personal preference I guess.

I also use a 2.4 kernel for the servers. The developers are pretty much
done screwing around with that tree, except for glaring security
problems. I've said before I wish they would go back to a separate
production and developmental kernel tree, but apparently that is not
going to happen.

Obviously you pretty much need a 2.6 kernel for current Myth releases
though, so you have to put up with potential trouble if you upgrade it.

beww