What is the difference between Debian and Ubuntu?

[digitaljosh]

Hi all,

I'm a professional computer programmer, long-time linux user, and a terrible system administrator. There has been a lot of buzz around Ubuntu lately, and I was hoping you could tell me how it differs from Debian. Why would a user go with Ubuntu rather than Debian upon which it is based?

Kind regards,
Josh

[spoon!]

http://www.ubuntulinux.org/ubuntu/relationship/

[bryansmith]

Essentially, Ubuntu is a frozen version of Debian Unstable and it has been worked with by the Ubuntu team. It is much more user friendly than Debian but it also has its limitations (apparently, there is a lack of compatibility with Debian packages).

Bryan

[eerok]

Some people prefer a system that "just goes on" like ubuntu does, and some (like me) prefer starting with a base system and adding what they need. A debian net install can be up and booted in around 15-20 minutes. Then just apt-get what you need as you need it ...

However, I found it annoying when "woody" remained the stable release for three years (this ended with the official release of "sarge" last summer). I think this is what motivated the creation of ubuntu in the first place.

As for the level of admin skills required by debian and ubuntu, I think they both require learning the system; what's "easy" is what you're used to.

So:

If you want a more complete out-of-the-box gui setup (either gnome or kde), more regular releases, and more current software versions, then ubuntu is a good choice.

If you want a more hand-crafted system with something other than gnome or kde, then debian is a good choice.