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Aptosid and Siduction with Linux kernel 3.1

Summary

The Debian Unstable-based distributions Aptosid and Siduction appeared in new versions in early 2012. Aptosid had emerged from Sidux after a dispute between developers and the association, and Siduction in turn split off from Aptosid in summer 2011. Aptosid 2011-03 brought kernel 3.1, Wake-on-WLAN for Broadcom and Realtek cards and booting on UEFI systems.

Ideas

  • Rolling distributions based on Debian Sid deliver new software faster.
  • In the free software world, conflicts in projects often lead to forks.
  • In 2012 UEFI support became a topic for Linux distributions.

Insights

  • Forks are an outlet for conflicts but fragment limited developer capacity.
  • Whoever uses Debian Unstable trades stability for freshness.

Facts

  • Aptosid 2011-03 bore the name “Ponos”.
  • Siduction also offered LXDE as a third desktop.

References

Critique

  • The report does not assess how stable a distribution based on Debian Unstable is in everyday use.

Recommendations

  • Only use rolling distributions with regular snapshots or backups.
  • With small distributions, check how many active developers support them.

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