Unless it’s just a hardware driver issue?
Support & community come to mind.
To a typical user/newcomer to servers it’s easier to find some solution for Ubuntu, than for Debian. And boy, can Debian user be full of themselves… 😑
Why would someone choose ubuntu server over a headless debian installation?
Submitted 1 year ago by dampfnudel@lemmy.zip to selfhosted@lemmy.world
Comments
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
twistypencil@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ubuntu solutions are Debian solutions
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Ubuntu is what grew out of Debian.
But it’s radically different ENVIRONMENT these days.
LazerDickMcCheese@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
In my limited experience, that’s pretty accurate unfortunately. But with so many Debian tools becoming more popular, I bet that attitude will change soon
jesterraiin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Hard to tell.
Whole Linux movement has plenty of classes to take, if it wants to become more relevant. And social skills is one of the most important among these…
Moonrise2473@feddit.it 1 year ago
Because when you use Debian and you find a bug, you will notice that it was fixed years ago but for “stability” you are using an ancient version
For example if you use samba as active directory domain controller on Debian, it doesn’t let login windows 11 users. This bug was fixed in 2019
InverseParallax@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m really curious if that’s still true for debian 12, it’s using a 6.1 kernel and stuff isn’t nearly as old.
Moonrise2473@feddit.it 1 year ago
Because Debian 12 has come out relatively recently
Streetdog@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I recently switched one of my VPS to Debian 12.1 coming from Ubuntu 22.04.* LTS, because of the newer kernel and newer packages. I think there was an Ubuntu update this week, didn’t have time to look into it, so I’m not sure if it still applies.
whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’m using “testing” repos for this reason (testing is still stable, it’s the next stable)
It might be late still, I don’t know
ghjsh8@lemy.lol 1 year ago
Yep. I once heard on an IRC room about testing being “highly unrecommendable” because it could break at any time! I rolled my eyes. Testing branch is fully usable, and it rarely breaks if you are a mindful user.
BubblyMango@lemmy.wtf 1 year ago
I understood the problems are about security patches being late there, and the freeze periods. Why not usw unstable?
stephenc@waveform.social 1 year ago
I like Ubuntu Server. It’s got a nice installer that is simple and straight to the point, and lots of documentation. I’m also very familiar with it if I need to troubleshoot.
That said, I don’t like snaps and every new version pushes them harder. I’m currently learning openSUSE to see if it can become my new go-to for servers.
I always run Linux servers headless, so how the distro does GUI (if an option) is not relevant to me in this scenario.
bdonvr@thelemmy.club 1 year ago
Yeah I swore off Ubuntu the moment Apt started installing snaps unprompted.
prenatal_confusion@lemmy.one 1 year ago
Same. I’ll take dkms for zfs over snap every time.
oldfart@lemm.ee 1 year ago
The installer is much easier, and the github keys import is a nice touch. Last two servers I set up were Debian, because fuck forcing LXD as snap, and the installer was inferior to that of Ububtu took me about 3x the time to do the same setup.
garrett@infosec.pub 1 year ago
Having worked at a cloud provider for awhile and also done support, the reasoning is generally that Ubuntu is the “path of least resistance” to getting running. They have a super engaged community and the market share leads to a lot of guides across the web being primarily made for Ubuntu.
To be fair, it also helps that their LTS support is really nice and their repos are a lot closer to up-to-date than a bunch of others.
Decronym@lemmy.decronym.xyz 1 year ago
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters LTS Long Term Support software version LXC Linux Containers VPS Virtual Private Server (opposed to shared hosting)
[Thread #35 for this sub, first seen 13th Aug 2023, 09:35] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
NewDataEngineer@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Need to add DKMS. I have no idea what that is.
Album@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
Cuz it doesn’t really matter that much
anzo@programming.dev 1 year ago
Why wouldn’t they? I use arch btw. No joke intended.
neuromancer@lemmy.world 1 year ago
[deleted]palitu@lemmy.perthchat.org 1 year ago
10? I thought lts is 5y?
But yeah, 10y on a version would have all sorts of versioning issues. Though I have seem some old industrial pcs running on xp for a long time!
pnutzh4x0r@lemmy.ndlug.org 1 year ago
Familiarity (my client distro is Pop and is based on Ubuntu), and I like the LTS life cycle (predictable).
I do uninstall snaps, though, and mostly just use Docker for things. I could use Debian, but again, for me it was about familiarity and support (a lot more Ubuntu specific documentation).
elderflower@lemmy.world 1 year ago
ZFS without javing to faff around with DKMS
bcnelson@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is huge for me as well and is what will keep me on Ubuntu Server until I have a very very good reason to leave or someone else adds it.
TheHolm@aussie.zone 1 year ago
zfs dkms on debian prompt to be non problematic for me. ZFS is standard storage back-end for our docker swarm hosts, and I have plenty of them. Same DKMS work fine on my desktops too.
nicman24@kbin.social 1 year ago
wasn't zfs deprecated from the installer in ubuntu server?
RegalPotoo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
In years past, I chose Ubuntu over Debian because of some key packages that were more up to date on Ubuntu LTS then Debian. Now that I’m running basically everything in containers I’ll be switched back to Debian over the next upgrade cycle
Sethayy@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Anytime is an upgrade cycle when youre indecisive as hell
(Almost don’t even use my PC cause its always migrating somehow lmao)
Veraxus@kbin.social 1 year ago
Historically I’ve done exactly that. Debian for servers, Ubuntu for workstations (because I like GNOME). But my hate for Snap runs so deep that I’ve started using Debian w/ GNOME more and more often in the last couple years.
ThorrJo@lemmy.sdf.org 1 year ago
But my hate for Snap runs so deep that I’ve started using Debian w/ GNOME more and more often over the last year or so.
As a Linux Mint user I’ve seen the writing on the wall and will be switching to Linux Mint Debian Edition next time I reinstall my desktop.
iliketrains@kbin.social 1 year ago
Most people only relate Linux to Ubuntu, Linux init system to SysVInit or SystemD, Containerisation to Docker or Kubernetes, Linux desktop to Gnome.
In some cases, it may be due to official support being available but most of the time it's just that people are being taught Ubuntu first as "THE Linux" and that's what they use since then.
MigratingtoLemmy@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’d be happier with just SysVInit and not SystemD
InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 1 year ago
That’s fine, or someone with a brain come to pipewire systemd into decent software, either way.
tonytins@pawb.social 1 year ago
Before self-hosting web apps became one-click install away, Ubuntu was a lot more convenient with newer technologies, readily available documentation, and a clear update schedule. At least, that was my case.
ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t think it matters but I usually pick Ubuntu as the base for my server(s) just because I tend to always go back to an Ubuntu spin as my daily driver. It’s better to just have it be the same.
s_s@lemmy.one 1 year ago
One of Ubuntu’s strengths from an enterprise perspective is that it produces server and desktop solutions that require minimal cross-training to support.
LordXenu@artemis.camp 1 year ago
Because that one GitHub project that solves your needs but has sparse documentation and only works if it’s as close to what I assumed it was created on.
WagesOf@artemis.camp 1 year ago
Remember that time I got salty because I was using a distro that's always 10 years out of date and is actively user hostile?
Takahe@lemmy.nz 1 year ago
ZFS support
JustEnoughDucks@feddit.nl 1 year ago
I’m confused. I have been running debian with ZFS for years?
bsod@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
It is preinstalled and precompiled on ubuntu so you don’t need to use dkms to compile the module. IIRC you can even use zfs as root filesystem right from the installation.
TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 1 year ago
I’m not OP, but probably supported in the sense that the filesystem is part of the kernel.
Deebster@lemmyrs.org 1 year ago
When I last used Debian, I found myself very annoyed with the lag in the package manager. This is a very long time ago (15 years?), so probably isn't the case any longer. However, due to laziness (or proactively avoiding a bikeshed rabbit hole) I didn't check and just chose Ubuntu over Debian the other day because of that.
HeavyRaptor@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
I’m a bit of a noob so I ended up going with Ubuntu after trying a few other distros. I’m sure I could have fixed the issues I was having but it was easier to troubleshoot and find solutions online due to the larger install base
Aux@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The whole point of Debian is that they force you to use outdated packages with security vulnerabilities. Using Debian is like using Windows XP. Except that Microsoft really wants you to upgrade, but Debian wants you to downgrade.
unknowing8343@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
Ubuntu LTS (the most used in servers) is also outdated packages with security vulnerabilities, so…
The thing is that, Debian and Ubuntu, both apply security patches very fast with minimal implications, making these servers very reliable, stable and safe, unlike closed source alternatives.
glasgitarrewelt@feddit.de 1 year ago
That is simply not true.
Sethayy@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Bookworm actually even included proprietary packages on the main iso installer now, leaving most of it’s issues in the past.
Tbh the reason I fully swaped over is the tiny download size, but ubuntu has a longer LTS support window I believe
mkwarman@lemmy.mkwarman.com 1 year ago
I have always gravitated toward Debian until recently. I run LXCs on proxmox and apparently Debian needs nesting enabled or else it takes around 30s to login. I think it’s trying to access a system file when a user logs in that can’t be accessed when nesting is disabled, and it waits to timeout before continuing with the login. Also, I have noticed that when running htop on Debian, it reports the total number of cores on my server, rather than the number of cores I have assigned to the container. Ubuntu doesn’t have either of these problems - I can run it with nesting disabled (more secure) and still login without delay, and htop reports only the number of cores I have assigned to the container.
These are small issues, and there’s probably a way to address them, but I haven’t found any solutions yet. And when I just want to spin up a LXC quickly so I can work on an idea/pipeline/whatever, I’m finding myself going with the more frictionless option lately.
jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 1 year ago
Humans are creatures of habit.
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 1 year ago
Debian is bloat. I use Alpine.
marsokod@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you are in an enterprise environment, it is easier to sell Ubuntu - at least there is a company that can provide support for it behind. Companies want to make sure someone is on the hook to fix an issue that would be blocking to them, and this is much harder with something like Debian.
That’s why Red Hat is used that much in companies, and what Canonical main revenues are coming from.
But as a selfhoster, I use Debian by default for my servers. Only if there is a very specific need for Ubuntu would I switch, and I am frankly tired of the Snap shenanigans on my desktop (thinking of migrating to PopOS or KDE Neon).
30021190@lemmy.cloud.aboutcher.co.uk 1 year ago
This is the best answer.
huskypenguin@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
I’ve really enjoyed Neon. It still has snaps, but everything going through the Discovery app makes installs of flat oaks or snaps seamless.
PopOS is great but threw me for a loop with its lack of GRUB.
notfromhere@lemmy.one 1 year ago
Having experienced Canonical’s support, if anyone actually needs it they go to RHEL.