[PD] Ubuntu vs. ubuntustudio?

[João Pais]

thanks for your replies.

I really don't have much free time (sometimes the free time is already  
scheduled), and am not a bash/unix guru (although I'm not that dumb). but  
I really don't have the time/pacience to go (again!!) to visit x forums to  
know why this flag gives an error while compiling/building, what happens  
to the guy that has the computer model 1234x while I have the model 1234y,  
... you know the drill.

so, I think I'll stick with ubuntu 8.10, install the -rt kernel (through  
synaptic), and install all programs separately (no studio-bundle): jack,  
PDs, ardour, hdsp+multiface ...

(by the way, I also have a tablet. but I have already some installation  
guides from 7.04)

btw, I also wanted to use the rme hdsp card on my desktop - must just get  
a pci-pcmcia adapter. Does any of you has anything to warn against this?

thanks again,

João

> Hi!
>
> If you are really lazy, take Ubuntustudio with LTS (8.04). And do not
> change 8.04 to 8.10 (or other) untill next LTS release. Or switch to
> 8.10 when 9.04 will be near-ready. With normal release (not LTS)
> you'll get pissed off twice a year "just because" you'll loose your
> software untill someone will make packages for you (developers wait
> with packaging untill last moment or longer, everything can change
> with every beta release and it may cause errors, as it was with
> pd-extended and Intrepid AFAIR). And you'll have to wait some time to
> get your packages done. Every version now is a major rewrite, so using
> LTS is the only way to have your packages quite fresh and in working
> condition without much effort.
>
> You can also consider other, audio- media- or pd-oriented distros (or
> distros supported with packages of what-you-need and/or rt kernel),
> Musix, dyne:bolic and pure:dyne come to my mind. Or tweaked Debian
> (pure:dyne?). With d:b please wait for upcoming release, 2.5.2 is very
> crude now.
>
> I'm in general very pissed off with Ubuntu. It is fat and it breaks my
> toys. I have to compile tones of stuff every half a year. It is not
> always possible to compile it all...
> I'm under Slack now. But I don't need rt kernel. It is possible to
> install rt in any major distro.
>
> You always have to choose if it is:
> specialised (Musix) or general-purpose (*buntu*, Fedora, OpenSUSE,  
> Debian),
> fat, but out-of-the-box (OpenSUSE, *buntu*) or light, but DIY-ish  
> (Slackware),
> modern (*buntu*) or with clear and obvious UNIX-like, well documented
> architecture (Debian, Slack)
> installed ONCE, forever (almost any mature release), stable (Slack,
> Debian - stable branch), slightly unstable, but with newer software
> (Ubuntu, Debian testing) or in beta stage - with newest tools but
> almost always something cracks (Ubuntu beta releases, Debian sid)
> ready to use out-of-the-box (in your case - specialized distros only),
> after a short while (ubuntustudio or any bigget thing with rt kernel
> in packages) or after heavy tweaking
> (installing/compiling/gathering/tweaking software, kernel, desktop
> env., hardware recognition and many others - like in Gentoo or
> Slackware).
> have such fancy thing like mounting your pendrive or camera in easy
> way, integrated mixer, network reckognition tools (avahi), so KDE,
> Gnome or Xfce-based or lightweight (fluxbox, IceWM). enlightenment -
> 17 - sorry, but I think it is unusable (I've tried it last month), it
> needs much more work to simply do the job with it. 16 is good.
>
> After you'll answer to yourself - the choice will be much easyier.
> In my case I needed something:
> easy on resources
> stable, not so modern, but reliable software, to have live
> performances and many hours of efficient work without ventricular
> hypertension. (I'm still quite happy with Gimp 2.4)
> to set up once a year or two or three, with mid-size repository, with
> my must-have software working in 100% (It is a nomadic graphic
> station, so Gimp, Inkscape, Cinelerra, Scribus, Fontmatrix, Veejay,
> PD-vanilla, Processing and Synfig Studio is a must, with java and
> python software)
> to have pendrive, camera and tablet working in reasonable time
> to have my wireless card supported with high connectivity (I'm a
> wireless safety tester too) and some network tools (ftp client and
> Skype)
> easy to repair or tweak in ANY possible way when needed, so well
> documented, clear and clean in terms of architecture.
> easy to compile stuff on it
>
> So Slack with KDE was the one. Debian is pretty good but it is
> developed much too fast for me. With Slack my tools are supported
> within few years. Or I can compile things on my own. Settings,
> additional packages, tweaks are left untouched after reinstallation,
> which is also a big plus.
> I have plenty of time (I'm working on of 1/4 full time), so having my
> tablet working in three days and camera in two was OK for me. This
> should be ready out-of-the-box, but whatever... I also like the
> mind-bending style of Slackware configuration, it teaches a lot.
>
> Cheers,
> Luke
>
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