Hari's Corner

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The "which distro" syndrome

Filed under: Software and Technology by Hari
Posted on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at 17:41 IST (last updated: Wed, Jul 16, 2008 @ 21:01 IST)

As an experienced Linux user, I've always been slightly irritated by the omni-present "which distro" thread that frequently comes up on Linux forums and in particular LQ.org. Many of us feel that newbies don't do enough research or homework or that they are lazy and want to be spoon-fed. A curt "search before you post" or "use what works for you" seems to be the obvious response to such repeated questions.

But I have to ask: is it really such a great answer?

The reason I say this is quite simple. I've pondered over the reason as to why people sometimes post obvious questions on online forums even when the answer is just a simple search away. And I discovered that it's sometimes not just what you know - it's also about a little moral support and justification behind your decision. "Which distro" certainly is such a question. Answers to this question certainly requires a bit of moral support. What better way to get this support than to pose this question in an online forum and get some live feedback from real, live people? It's one thing plodding through the archives of an ancient mailing list and it's totally another getting a response tailored to your particular issue on a forum where you can brainstorm with your peers about the pros and cons of a particular decision.

I believe a majority of new Linux users seek reassurance and approval from the Linux community as to the choices they make. In many cases, they might have chosen a distro, say Debian, and then feel - "what would these guys say about it? Is it really wise for a new user like me to plunge into this distribution? What would these guys think of my ability, based on my inputs?" In a nutshell, they want to be told - "You've made the right choice and here's why..." Nothing more or less. But since this kind of direct approval seeking appears to be a form of a crutch, many people would rather pose the innocent question - "which distro." In many of these questions, you also find the answers. And so when you answer them with - "Choose what suits you best," they are a little miffed and come away dissatisfied. They also feel slighted because the community gives the impression that it doesn't care about what Linux distro they choose. It might be the truth, but rationality and logic cannot be applied when it comes to people seeking to be a part of a larger community and gain social acceptance.

So I think a majority of people who start "which distro" threads are actually doing it so that they can seek confirmation and reassurance from the community that it does care about their choices. They also want some kind of technical justification to choose a distribution and in the rare occasion they want to know what the distro is about - how easy it is and what kind of audience it's targetted at. But most of all, they want moral support for their entry into the Linux community and to be an accepted member of it.

I think the "which distro" syndrome is more about the social phenomenon of gaining assurance and the tag of recognition from the community than a technical question that seeks a technically correct answer. I do think that a majority of "which distro" questions have their answers within the question itself. And while that does not necessarily make it a bad question it just means that as experienced Linux users, we need to tailor our responses accordingly by gauging the intent behind it. A little encouragement goes a long way...

7 comment(s)

  1. I did a guide for people starting out with Linux a while ago, in which I also began by addressing the "Which distro" question.My analysis was that they think it's vital to get the right one first try, because everything else follows on from it: How much disk space you need, how to partition it, what software you get, what package manager you get, etc etc.An attitude that's reinforced by virtually every "How to install Linux" guide I've ever read, hence my guide was written - unlike other guides that insist that the first thing to decide is the distro, and then you devote all disk space available to it, I instead advised devoting as little space as possible to the distro so there was plenty of room for other distros as well.If you make it easy to install several distros, the question of which to install becomes near-irrelevant. If you make it very hard to install a new distro, it's vital to get it right. . .

    Comment by Dominic (visitor) on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 @ 18:09 IST #
  2. I think the reason that "which distro" is the most popularly unpopular question is that we really don't care which one you use, it is enough that you have taken the leap and used it.And, personally, I get tired of seeing the same question asked firstly in the same way over and over again and then asked "cleverly" in which they try to obfuscate the question.Everyone says they started with Linux to avoid being a sheep - and then say "please tell me what the best thing for me to do is". Bit of a disparity.On the other hand, if you ask the question and say that your laptop doesn't take Suse/Fedora/etc and then ask the question, you are likely to get a better response.

    Comment by ray (visitor) on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 @ 18:43 IST #
  3. Dominic, although I think your analysis is fine, I think the more technically oriented newbies generally make up their minds on their own. The ease of use is only one aspect.The point of my article was that although many newbies do make up their minds on "which distro" they want, they are seeking moral support and approval of their peers before committing to that decision.Ray, you're right about the "generic" which distro threads. Again, I think it's more to do with seeking the community approval and moral support more than any real answers to the question. And that was my point. As experienced users, we probably need to be more indulgent and patient while dealing with these questions.

    Comment by hari (blog owner) on Sun, Sep 10, 2006 @ 19:15 IST #


  4. Comment by J_K9 (visitor) on Mon, Sep 11, 2006 @ 21:13 IST #
  5. Ughh... I really hate that question. I guess it's not that bad after they've actually tried several distro's and might be looking for a particular feature, but other than that, just try several out and decide for yourself..

    Comment by drew (visitor) on Tue, Sep 12, 2006 @ 00:56 IST #
  6. I don't necessarily think they always seek a straightforward answer, drew. As mentioned in the article, it's more about finding moral support and getting to ease into the community.Sometimes, we need to figure out why the question has been asked rather than just see the question in its own merit.The "which distro" phenomenon is a lot more complex in a social sense and points to psychological aspects of approval seeking and peer support.

    Comment by hari (blog owner) on Tue, Sep 12, 2006 @ 09:09 IST #
  7. I truly believe a majority are just wanting to know who uses what and go with the flow really. I think there are legit people asking the question to really find out benefits of using one over the other but in the end I think with most, they just can't decide for themselves and need someone to recommend whatever to use or try out.

    Comment by drew (visitor) on Wed, Sep 13, 2006 @ 01:39 IST #

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