Do different distros, in the same family, REALLY make a difference?

[gene0915 37]

Over on the Plex forums, I asked for help with an issue I'm having. I was reminded that since I'm using Linux Mint, I'm not officially supported. Among a few other distros, Plex supports Debian/Ubuntu but not Mint. Fine, I sort of understand where they're coming from but how are things over here? I see that Mint is officially supported but say somebody was running MX Linux, which is based off Debian stable..... if they asked for help while running MX Linux, would you support them or encourage them to install a sanctioned distro?

 

I know ZERO about app development on Linux but I'm curious about that scenario.

 

There are a few more things I need to see resolved on the Emby side before I can dump Plex and move all my users over so I'm tempted to blow away my Mint setup and switch to Debian 10 in the mean time.

 

 

[Luke 37229]

Hi, yes we have packages on our website for Linux Mint:

https://emby.media/linux-server.html

[gene0915 37]

Hi, yes we have packages on our website for Linux Mint:

https://emby.media/linux-server.html

But what if somebody was using MX Linux and needed help. (MX Linux and Linux Mint are different distros) Would you tell them to install a supported distro or would you offer up whatever assistance you could?

 

Bigger question, would it be difficult to support ANY Linux distro?

[Luke 37229]

 

 

Bigger question, would it be difficult to support ANY Linux distro?

 

They all have to be looked at individually. There's no one size fits all package development, so when it comes to these lesser known distros, we do the best we can. 

[maegibbons 1267]

I think the answer is that emby "should" work on a variety of related distros but it is only tested and verified on a few and as such "officially supported"

 

If you want to run it on an exotic flavour than by all means try it and if you run in to problems you may be able to get some suggestions BUT no one is going to go to the nth degree to solve your issues.

 

Which is why it is best to stick to supported platforms.

 

Its a question of resources.

 

Krs

 

Mark

 

A 'like' is always appreciated!

Edited April 20, 2020 by maegibbons

[gene0915 37]

They all have to be looked at individually. There's no one size fits all package development, so when it comes to these lesser known distros, we do the best we can. 

In your professional opinion, would it be better if I moved from Mint to pure Debian? Do you see less quirky issues with pure Debian installs?

[gene0915 37]

I think the answer is that emby "should" work on a variety of related distros but it is only tested and verified on a few and as such "officially supported"

 

If you want to run it on an exotic flavour than by all means try it and if you run in to problems you may be able to get some suggestions BUT no one is going to go to the nth degree to solve your issues.

 

Which is why it is best to stick to supported platforms.

 

Its a question of resources.

 

Krs

 

Mark

 

A 'like' is always appreciated!

I asked Luke his opinion but I'm more and more tempted to dump Mint and switch to pure Debian 10 on my media server box. What's your opinion?

[Luke 37229]

In your professional opinion, would it be better if I moved from Mint to pure Debian? Do you see less quirky issues with pure Debian installs?

I would imagine most developers allocate more time testing pure Debian than mint so from what standpoint yes.

[BAlGaInTl 279]

If it's just a server, and you don't use the layers that Mint has added to Ubuntu/Debian, then there is no reason not to go with Debian.

 

Or you can do what I've done and go with a Docker solution... then the underlying distro doesn't matter as much.  I struggled with compatibility in the early days... but I've barely had an issue since going to Docker containers. 

 

Of course they can present their own problems as well, especially if you rely on hardware encoding/decoding.  I only use the CPU and it works fantastic.