Re: [LAU] Debian DAW experiences

On Sun, 31 Aug 2014 22:42:49 -0700
David Christensen <dpchrist@email-addr-hidden> wrote:

> linux-audio-user:
>
> I've been running a Debian Wheezy DAW (i386, Xfce, realtime kernel,
> Audacity, Rosegarden, various synthesizers, etc.) for the past week
> or two. It sort of worked. But, it's clearly not ready for taking
> on stage for a performance.
>
>
> I checked for backports of more recent DAW titles, but none are
> available.
>
>
> So, today I rebuilt the machine using Debian Testing (Jessie).
>
>
> I started by downloading the 288 MB "netinst" ISO image. This was
> followed by 100's of MB of downloads to install the base system,
> graphical desktop (Xfce), laptop packages, SSH server, and print
> server.
>
>
> I fed my list of desired general-purpose, kernel, and DAW packages to
> Apt and it wanted to download another 1+ GB of files (!). I shook my
> head and lit it off.
>
>
> After several hours of hogging my 1.5 Mbps Internet connection, I
> noticed that Apt was downloading a 323 MB documentation package.
>
>
> Since when is documentation a *required* package?
>
>
> For that matter, when is 288 MB a "small" installation image?
>
>
> And, there are other issues with Debian (such as cdrkit/ isoinfo).
>
>
> So, it's time for me to look for another Linux distribution. Are
> there any recommendations for a Linux distribution that:
>
> 1. Works correctly.
>
> 2. Is efficient in both space and time.
>
> 3. Offers a kernel suitable for DAW use at install time.
>
> 4. Offers current DAW software binary packages.
>
> 5. Provides simple OOTB *user* and *administrator* experiences --
> e.g. minimal technical wrenching around under the hood.
>
>
> TIA,
>
> David
>
>
> p.s. I read the recent thread on the same topic and researched some
> of the responses (archive server down at the moment). The apparent
> favorite, Arch Linux, fails criteria #5
> (https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Pro_Audio). The runner-up,
> Ubuntu Studio, is 2+ GB and therefore fails criteria #2. The
> also-ran, Debian, fails #1, 2, and 3.

I'm an Arch user since a couple of years and I know that not everything
is great in Arch land either. Setting Arch up definitely takes some
time and expertise (the general information on the wiki is good, for
the audio part you'll likely need additional sources). However, once
Arch is set up properly the administrative work is very reasonable. I
doubt that you will find a distribution that meets all your
requirements.

Regards,
Philipp
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Received on Mon Sep 1 16:15:04 2014