Not only with intervals but also with quite old software. Sometimes software versions are so old that they are no longer compatible with the upstream version. Although, to be honest, I haven’t used Debian for so long that I can’t even name the applications that lagged behind like that.
In general, Debian is indeed incredibly stable, but if you need to install it on the latest laptop (for example, Intel Core Ultra X9), it will be a real hell.
UPD: except perhaps for using sid. But then you lose the only advantage - stability.
Honestly, in the age of Flatpak and containerization (as well as Debian often being well-supported by upstream projects for script or package-based install), I feel like the age of Debian packages isn’t that annoying anymore; anything important gets security patches, and it’s easier than ever to use 3rd party software without breaking your system. I will add that Debian seems to be much better these days at making sure either a reasonably up-to-date version ships with a release (and can be kept secure during a stable cycle) or not shipping it at all as to allow the user to install it themselves.
I remember back in just 2021 when it took months after Firefox ESR 78 went EOL for them to update Bullseye to 91; recently, it only took them a few days after 140’s EOL to switch to 153 (and 91-115 and 115-140 happened without much note either), which isn’t perfect, but much better than it was.
If you need to install it on a new laptop, backports often has you covered. I ran a backports kernel for about a year on Debian Bookworm to get my laptop’s Wi-Fi modem working; I was able to quit using the backports kernel once Trixie came out.
Honestly, in the age of Flatpak and containerization (as well as Debian often being well-supported by upstream projects for script or package-based install), I feel like the age of Debian packages isn’t that annoying anymore; anything important gets security patches, and it’s easier than ever to use 3rd party software without breaking your system.
i was pleasantly surprised in 2023 to learn that debian was still king in the server space and precisely because of this – i remember doubting trying debian on my personal hardware because of the age of the packages back around 2004.
I’ve found I don’t need bleeding edge most of the time. But if I do need something more up to date, there’s usually a package for Debian available. Wine is one example; I needed a more updated version than Debian stable ships, and WineHQ has it packaged for that. Installs easily and stays updated automatically.
Not only with intervals but also with quite old software. Sometimes software versions are so old that they are no longer compatible with the upstream version. Although, to be honest, I haven’t used Debian for so long that I can’t even name the applications that lagged behind like that.
In general, Debian is indeed incredibly stable, but if you need to install it on the latest laptop (for example, Intel Core Ultra X9), it will be a real hell.
UPD: except perhaps for using sid. But then you lose the only advantage - stability.
Honestly, in the age of Flatpak and containerization (as well as Debian often being well-supported by upstream projects for script or package-based install), I feel like the age of Debian packages isn’t that annoying anymore; anything important gets security patches, and it’s easier than ever to use 3rd party software without breaking your system. I will add that Debian seems to be much better these days at making sure either a reasonably up-to-date version ships with a release (and can be kept secure during a stable cycle) or not shipping it at all as to allow the user to install it themselves.
I remember back in just 2021 when it took months after Firefox ESR 78 went EOL for them to update Bullseye to 91; recently, it only took them a few days after 140’s EOL to switch to 153 (and 91-115 and 115-140 happened without much note either), which isn’t perfect, but much better than it was.
If you need to install it on a new laptop, backports often has you covered. I ran a backports kernel for about a year on Debian Bookworm to get my laptop’s Wi-Fi modem working; I was able to quit using the backports kernel once Trixie came out.
i was pleasantly surprised in 2023 to learn that debian was still king in the server space and precisely because of this – i remember doubting trying debian on my personal hardware because of the age of the packages back around 2004.
I’ve found I don’t need bleeding edge most of the time. But if I do need something more up to date, there’s usually a package for Debian available. Wine is one example; I needed a more updated version than Debian stable ships, and WineHQ has it packaged for that. Installs easily and stays updated automatically.