this post was submitted on 18 Dec 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Is Debian unstable really unstable or is just like.. Ubuntu?
It's unstable in the sense that it doesn't stay the same for a long time. Stable is the release that will essentially stay the same until you install a different release.
Sid is the kid next door (Iirc) from Toy Story who would melt and mutilate toys for fun. He may have been a different kind of unstable.
Neither is unstable like an old windows pc.
Unstable is pretty damn stable, feels arch-y to me, and arch rarely has issues. If there are issues they're fixed fast.
Testing is the middle ground. Tested for a bit by unstable peeps but thats it.
IIRC packages have to be in unstable with no major bugs for 10 days before migrating to testing. It's a good middle ground IMO.
Of course, you could always run unstable and be the one to report the bugs :)
It's not actually unstable, more accurately it's tested and verified as much as Debian stable, meaning it's fine for desktop use but I wouldn't use it for a server or critical system I plan on running 24/7 without interruption, both since it may have bugs that develop after long term use and gets more frequent updates which will be missed and render it out of date quickly if it's running constantly.
It's relatively alright for something that's called unstable. There is also testing which is tested for at least 10 days. And you can mix and match, but that's not recommended either.
I wouldn't put it on my server. And I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't okay with fixing the occasional hiccup. But I've been using it for years and I like it.
However, mind that it's not supported and they do not pay attention to security fixes.
I used to run Debian testing on my servers. These days I don't have much free time to mess with them, so they're all running the stable release with unattended-upgrades.
To be clear, it can still get security updates, but it's the package maintainer's responsibility to upload them. Some maintainers are very responsive while others take a while. On the other hand, Debian stable has a security team that quickly uploads patches to all officially supported packages (just the "main" repo, not contrib, non-free, or non-free-firmware).
Thanks for clarifying. Yeah I implied that but didn't explain all the nuances. I've been scolded before for advertising the use of Debian testing. I'm quite happy with it. But since I'm not running any cutting edge things on my server and Docker etc have become quite stable... I don't see any need to put testing on the server. I also use stable there and embrace the security fixes and stability / low maintenance. I however run testing/unstable on my laptop.
It's a dumping ground for new packages. Nobody makes any guarantees about it. It's supposed to be used only as a staging area by developers.
It may happen to work when you install it or it may crash constantly. You don't know.