How does Ubuntu Linux differ from Debian?

By David M Williams
Wednesday, 07 January 2009 18:54

Opinion and Analysis

Bring up the topic of Ubuntu and you'll receive a mixed response from unexpected corners. No, it's not the Windows brigade, but the Debian crowd. So just how does Ubuntu differ from Debian to inflame such passion?

First things first: Ubuntu is a derivative work from Debian. It’s a Linux distro based on a pre-existing Linux distro. Let's be clear they're not like apples and oranges.

On the one hand, that sounds bizarre. On the other, it’s a perfect example of the GNU Public License at work: anyone is free to take open source software and rework it and redistribute it for the overall benefit of the community, if they believe they can make it better.

It so happens Mark Shuttleworth’s Canonical organisation believe they can make something better, in this case Debian Linux.

And here’s where the issue comes in: whenever a Linux advocate like myself writes about Ubuntu and how it is possibly the most popular version of Linux presently available, feedback will inevitably flow in from someone asserting that Ubuntu is just a cheap and tawdry Debian wanna-be.

Personally, I don’t see a problem with Ubuntu basing itself on Debian. It’s expressly permitted by the free software license Debian exists under, and if Canonical believe they want to make the “best” Linux ever, then Debian certainly is a solid and reputable base.

Perhaps where Debian fans take exception is that they already believe Debian is pretty damn good; isn’t it patronising for Ubuntu to pitch itself as being “better”?

To answer all this let’s get back to one simple thing: what is the target audience for each?

For Debian, the answer is pretty simple: everyone. Debian bundles everything for everyone. I kid you not, the current stable release – and more on this soon – comes on a massive three DVDs. That’s over 13GB of Linuxy goodness.

Actually, you don’t strictly need to download all three DVDs; most of what you need is on the first DVD. Or CD. Or, you can download a very small bootable image that then pulls everything else from the Internet.

Here’s where we hit our first major distinction. Ubuntu comes on one CD. While more knowledgeable types can fine-tune a Debian install to perfectly suit their purpose the general person on the street who just wants a $0 virus-free operating system is going to find Ubuntu far more straightforward, far more accessible, and much less complex to choose the “right” media.

Why is this? What’s Ubuntu’s purpose?

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