Should MEPIS change to the Ubuntu kernel?

I'm using MEPIS with sarge repository and thanx to that i get a secure an stabel system.

This is not what i can get with ubuntu

I'm not happy with the turn to ubuntu ...

I started using Mepis as my full time linux distribution about 2 years ago. When I decided to start usign linux on my laptop I started using Ubuntu- mainly becasue it worked on my laptop right out of the box. The possibility of running mepis on my laptop really excites me- I'm looking forward to a switch to Ubuntu as Mepis's base.

I do not know much about Linux kernels but I do know that Mepis runs well on both my home and work computers and Ubuntu does not run well with either. I have been able to easily get most software to run on Mepis but I can't even work out the video problems on Ubuntu. The only other distro I have had no trouble with is Puppy, but I like the Mepis features much better. The only distro I have ever successfully made a dual boot install with Windows has been Mepis. I have tried the free versions of Mandriva and Susie and neither have worked as well as Mepis. Of course I would like improvements but please don't lose the ease of use and the compatibility; Ubuntu has neither.

I have used Mepis for over 2 years and as I think we all agree it just keeps getting better. I'm not a programer just an experenced user. IMHO Warren has done a great job and if he wants to go with the Ubuntu kernel I have full confidence in his judgement. I have ubuntu amd-64 on my sandbox drive and it runs very well, we all know it lacks packages which I assumee will be rectified in time. With the Mepis look and feel and reliable package updates it would be a great distro.

MEPIS is a fine flavored distro. I'm sure no matter which core you use, it will always show your efforts well. It's obvious from a business view of the situation that the survivability of the company will depend on making MEPIS users happy. Just don't let these cry baby diehards make threats to you about moving to other distros just because they fear change.

The big picture is that Linux needs decisive moves right now to fight for a bigger market share. MEPIS needs to be right up front to provide a good gateway for Windows users to migrate easily. The Ubuntu Project strategy has the right ideas about moving forward with the 6 month release issue. A version of (K)ubuntu engineered the MEPIS way can only be viewed as a positive move for the company and it's community.
Go for it!

The only thing I can say is try to stick with Debian. I only think it's so unstable because of all the new software recently. Maybe it will cool down next year. I personally am not a huge fan of updating software that doesn't need to be and in a few years that will be the case with Linux as updates will be less frequesnt. I would rather have the Debian standard overall but maybe I'm wrong. Still Ubuntu is more coperatey with all respect to how much it has enhanced opensource. I read Ubuntu is shooting for the enterprise now though.

Another thing to think about is competition and how Ubuntu is more a singular distro like most. To go off of them might deter you being better then them in some aspects.

If you don't want to upgrade you can use Debian Snapshot site to install packages.

Read here: www.mepislovers-wiki.org/index.php?title=Source:Debian_snapshot

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Seems like the Knoppix kernel would be a better choice than Ubuntu. But maybe we are looking at this from the wrong angle...

If the Etch repo is the problem, then how does switching kernels solve that problem? We need to switch repos, right? Maybe not.

Etch will be 'feature-frozen' soon and should be very stable by September or October. So that gives us some options...

1) use Sarge for a summer 2006 release and then switch back to Etch sometime after it goes public in Dec 2006.
2) keep warning people to be careful with upgrading for now. And wait until the Etch repo settles down before doing another Mepis release. In the meantime, work on other projects like SoHo or MepisLite.

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Bob L Hunter
bicycle tourist, bookworm, linux newbie
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I rebooted one of our Linux terminals at work today (Pizza Hut) to get some info about the distro...

- Mandrake 9.2
- 2.4.10 kernel
- FMS user interface

Businesses just want their computers to work and be stable. Cutting-edge is not really a priority.

With that in mind, I don't see how going to Ubuntu/Sid would make MEPIS better. But I am not an expert. There are probably many factors that I don't know about and wouldn't understand anyway.

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Bob L Hunter
bicycle tourist, bookworm, linux newbie
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Most of this has probably been said already by others, but I'll go ahead and chime in. These are the things that are important for me:

1. Support for Atheros wifi chipsets

The wireless card on my laptop is Atheros based. One of the primary things that drew me to MEPIS in the first place is that it was the only distro I ever tried that support my wireless card out of the box. Debian, SuSE, Kanotix, Ubuntu, and several others did not. MEPIS worked the first time so I stuck with it. I've recompiled my own kernel before to add in the madwifi modules, and I'd prefer to not do that again. If MEPIS is going to switch to using Ubuntu sources, I would greatly prefer that hardware support for Atheros cards be included in the kernel.

2. Debian compatibility

Not "Ubuntu" compatibility, DEBIAN compatibility. I like being able to find a package anywhere that was compiled for Debian and having it run install/run/whatever correctly with no further input from me. One problem I had with Ubuntu is that they've changed and forked Debian enough that not all Debian packages work properly. No matter what kernel MEPIS uses, it should always maintain the maximum possible compatibility with pure Debian.

3. Whatever works

As long as those two criteria are satisfied, I'll use whatever works. I don't care where the kernel comes from. If Ubuntu has better hardware detection and support, then go for it.

Whose kernel Mepis uses is irrelevant to me since I had to roll my own anyway (to get a particular version of Nvidia driver to work)... I have a personal bias against Ubuntu, but it stems from their attitude towards non-free software, not any failing in their kernel.

Since the question is rather irrelevant at this time (after 2 alphas and 1 beta with an "extended Ubuntu-kernel", rolled by Warren), may I suggest to close this thread?

Regards, Ko

Ko Bros

thread closed