[linux-audio-user] Best distro for Audio??

[Russell Hanaghan]

Firstly, thanks much for all the replies and ideas...

On Fri, 2004-08-06 at 09:27, Mark Knecht wrote:
> Chris Pickett wrote:
> > 
> > No, I'm using 2.6.7-gentoo-r5.  Maybe I'll try the CCRMA kernel at some 
> > point, or better yet, switch to one of the available audio 
> > distributions.  Who knows ... I'm tired of installation and upgrades and 
> > configuration woes at this point, even if quasi-automated.
> 
> Well, I'm back to 2.6.6 on my laptop, but that's because the Alsa folks 
> break drivers, don't test them, and then release them on the unassuming 
> world. Not a kind thing to do. ;-) I'm waiting for new, supposedly fixed 
> Alsa driver to make it into the development kernels so that I can move 
> forward.
> 
> I think that Gentoo is a lot of work when you decide to be very up to 
> date. I'm not speaking of ~x86 stuff. I'm meaning just keeping up with 
> updates, etc., is far too much time compiling. I have 4 Gentoo boxes 
> going these days. I'm pretty tired of it. (See this weeks 'automated 
> updates' thread on why it will likely never get better...)

This I gotta avoid. I have that now with several MDK machines and even
though I get solid performance from URPMI, it's still more time than I
can afford and exactly as you say, it detracts from what I'd much rather
be doing anyway.

> 
> You'd be smart to get a Gentoo box working and then just leave it alone 
> and write music. I get so sucked into all this this technology that it 
> takes too much time away from what you and I would rather be doing.
> 
> I've rebelled against using Suse for an audio distro due to a bad 
> encounter I had with them early on in my learning about Linux, but I do 
> think they make a good product. There's not many reason's to use Suse 
> without using Yast, or that's what I hear.
> 
> take care,
> Mark

As expected, many have dedicated and loyal opinions to their distro of
choice...it's one of the many attributes that makes Linux so awesome!  

I guess I need something that has packages to save some time and then a
"package" support that keeps stuff up to date as much as possible...

I guess that is:

Planet CCRMA
Debian
Suse?

>From what I see on the CCRMA site. looks like they stay as current as
possible...I think apt is what they use? Is it relatively free from
dependency hell with lots of server repositories? I don't live that far
from SF bay area...I could always go bug Fernando! :) {BTW Fernando...I
was part of the crew that refurbished the Audio Visual dept. at Stanford
about 10 years ago! }

What about Suse packages? 

>From the Agnula sites, I dont see much in the way of package variety? Is
that just what they post on the site and others are in repository?

How up to date do the "deb" packages stay? I hear solid things about apt
so I'm not concerned about dependency stuff here.

Thanks a bunch! As always you guys and gals are awesome!

R~