>Debian has been an extremely reliable distro that i've used in a number of scenarios and has largely avoided the problems that Ubuntu or even CentOS (RIP) have run into.
I actually try to write down some of the more annoying instances of software breaking on me (or not being nice to use) in another part of my blog: https://blog.kronis.dev/everything%20is%20broken
I'm afraid that i don't have an article about those distros in particular, but some of the issues that i've run into over the years:
- Ubuntu introduced snaps as an alternate way of packaging software, however in practice this sometimes means that certain packages migrate over to snaps only
- not only is this challenging from the perspective of wanting to pin specific versions of packages to be used, but also sometimes presents problems in regards to how the software runs and how it uses the file system
- in regards to server software that shouldn't matter too much, but when you're trying to install a browser for something like automation (say, Selenium), i've found that the count of moving parts is directly proportional to the chances of things breaking (e.g. Java --> Selenium library --> Gecko webdriver --> local browser and how it's installed --> the actual site that you want to test)
- Debian is also known for including slightly older (and sometimes better tested) software in its releases, so even though they will usually be behind Ubuntu, they can be good for when you want things to "just work" (e.g. how many pick CentOS over Fedora for particular setups)
- as for CentOS, i rather enjoyed its longer life cycle, however towards the end of its life, i found some packages breaking without clear reasons
- for example, a regular update once ruined my install of xrdp, so i could no longer graphically connect to the server (needed it for a niche use case)
- now, this is perhaps more of a nitpick rather than an outright problem, but there's a divide between DEB and RPM distros and how they do things, for example, how Apache2/httpd has both different names and different configurations on those distros, for seemingly no good reason
- also, depending on what you're doing, SELinux can have missing policies and cause issues with the software you're trying to run (there was this kerfuffle a few years ago about Docker (maybe Swarm) not playing nicely with the firewall on CentOS; i still remember that because someone actually suggested turning it off!)
That's not to say that Debian is blameless either, i've had some things go wrong with it as well, for example:
- the worst problem by far was GRUB breaking and preventing startup after an unattended update: https://blog.kronis.dev/everything%20is%20broken/debian-and-grub-are-broken
- Debian's older software also meant that for a while Ubuntu was a better choice for using WireGuard: https://blog.kronis.dev/tutorials/how-to-publicly-access-your-homelab-behind-nat
Of course, normally you'll want to pick whatever you're the most comfortable with, i'd say that apart from the snaps, Ubuntu LTS seems superior to Debian in some ways, since Debian's LTS offering isn't entirely official: https://wiki.debian.org/LTS
KronisLV|4 years ago
I'm afraid that i don't have an article about those distros in particular, but some of the issues that i've run into over the years:
That's not to say that Debian is blameless either, i've had some things go wrong with it as well, for example: Of course, normally you'll want to pick whatever you're the most comfortable with, i'd say that apart from the snaps, Ubuntu LTS seems superior to Debian in some ways, since Debian's LTS offering isn't entirely official: https://wiki.debian.org/LTS