[clue-tech] sidux 2009-02 (Aither) release in beta

[Collins Richey]

If anyone has been thinking about trying sidux (the most stable Debian
unstable, ie Sid,  distro), a release point is coming up in the next
couple of weeks. That means you can install without the usual boatload
of updates waiting.

Just remember.

1. This is Sid - occasional glitches are to be expected, but I have
not encountered a significant outage in 2 years.

2. All updates are via apt-get dist-upgrade in a non-gui runlevel. The
developers claim that your system WILL break if you do apt-get
upgrade.

3. Expect up to 150-200 packages upgraded per week, almost always
including a new kernel.

4. Developers recommend updates at least every 3 months.

5. If you want a more predictable way of updating, use smxi
(http://smxi.org/). The developers despise smxi (narrow-minded
Germans, literally), but users love it. smxi also works for Debian
testing, stable, and other Debian based releases. With smxi, you can
also choose aptitude as your base, but still using dist-upgrade only.
I've been doing that for 8 months with no unusual events. The sidux
developers also despise aptitude, so you won't get much help from
them. The smxi developer (moniker H2 on all forums) reacts quickly to
missing/broken packages, thus saving you a lot of grief.

6. Once installed, you can dist-upgrade forever, or mostly so. Because
of the major upheaval caused by the KDE3->KDE4 switchover, developers
actually recommend starting over with this one. First testers report
better performance if you do so. When I get a round-tuit ... My system
is working fine with updates.

7. This is a KDE release, so Gnome users may not like it. There are no
Gnome developers for Sidux, so Gnome is not recommended. The
developers maintain that Gnome is VERY unstable on Sid. sidux does
provide XFCE and FLUXBOX as alternatives, and LXDE is coming soon.

8. Always check the sidux forums before updates. Early adopters
provide feedback early, and if anything is really broken, a warning
will be posted. Really broken for sidux usually lasts 10 hours to 2
days.

If you're feeling frisky, try it. I'll be happy to help if you get
stuck. You won't get any brownie points from the Astronaut group, but
you'll be running real Debian.

-- 
Collins Richey
     If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries
     of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.