Thursday 5 September 2024

LINUX MISINFORMATION

Like everything else on the internet, much of the information posted about Linux is misinformation. When I was looking into the different distros I came across this example:

The 11 Best Debian-Based Linux Distributions


I know that compared to misinformation on the covidhoax or the death jabs for example, this is all pretty trivial, but I've been a bit of a geek  this week and that is what I've been looking at.
 
Linux review sites generally use pictures of the desktops of each of the distros they are featuring. They also tend to rank them in lists such as "Top 10". These are usually based on some sort of objective assessment and reasons are usually given.
 
In this case the "The 11 Best Debian-Based Linux Distributions" seems to be chosen entirely to make Ubuntu look good at #1 and Mint look bad at #11. I'm guessing they were paid some sort of kickback to do this. probably from Ubuntu who have been eclipsed by Mint now.
 
 
On Distrowatch Mint is currently ranked #2 and Ubuntu is at #5. Ubuntu hasn't been number #1 for about five years, and on many other lists Mint is #1.
 
 
In their desperate attempt to make Mint look bad they posted good screenshots of the first 10 distros, and then used a terrible picture for Mint in last place at #11 - very odd!
 

 
They would have actually have had to change a bunch of the default settings to make Mint look this bad, and they have even made Firefox look like Chrome for this screenshot.
 

Grudgingly they admit
"Linux Mint is a distro meant to be complete "out of the box", even more than Ubuntu, which it's based on"
 
 
In total contrast, this list is of "The 12 Best Debian-based Linux Distributions" is much better , but from reading the comments it appears it was originally a top 10, with no mention of Mint, that was later changed to a Top 12 with two versions of Mint included. And neither of these lists includes the Debian distro itself. Odder and Odder.