If you're running unstable(woody) or testing(sid) you get bleeding edge
tools.  Both releases are very stable (with some restraint on updating like
mad).  There are very few software packages that are not in their apt
sources, and the maintainers are very approachable for fixes and requests
(my experiences anyway.)  I've never had a problem with apt that I couldn't
fix with a few dpkg commands.  RPM on the other hand, well... I've had
nightmares about boxes running redhat. And RedHat was my distro of choice
before debian, I know RedHat inside and out but have had so many more
problems with redhat in the past than debian.

apt-get has it's drawbacks, updating specific packages, and rolling back
updates are a couple of them.  I'm thinking that your own custom apt source
is the best solution to this.

But over-all I've never found a more maintainable and admin-friendly
distrobution.  I would not recommend it to newbies.  I've heard Libranet has
a great and more userfriendly distro based on debian.  Progeny is near
release as well, it is also based on Debian and has quite a few good things
going for it.

If you absolutely MUST use RPMs, go with Mandrake.  If you just want to use
software from RPMs, use debian and learn to use alien and dpkg.  Chances are
that you'll never need something that's not in apt.

Blake Barnett
Sr. Unix Administrator
DevelopOnline.com


-----Original Message-----
From: foodog [mailto:foodog@pop.phnx.uswest.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 1:55 AM
To: plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us
Subject: Re: Which Linux Distro?


Bob Cober wrote:
> 
> I have been happily using RedHat, but now I am curious...
> 
> Why is Debian better?
> 
> What are the main differences?

It's made by vegetarian elves, so it's "magically delicious"?

Folklore holds that it has a wonderful update tool (apt-get), very
conservative maintainers (older, well-tested code) and it has the moral
highground (BFD, IMHO*).  

I'm fond of Immunix 6.2 ( http://www.immunix.com ), which is Redhat 6.2
with the StackGuard compiler patch and RPMs built w/ StackGuard.

For a desktop box I think Redhat 7.1 looks nice, but my favorite toys
don't work with the 2.4 kernel yet.

Steve

*moral highground is "nice", but I don't consider any Linux distribution
immoral so that's no biggie for me.

> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Todd Hought <thought@scudder-entprises.com>
> To: <plug-discuss@lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us>
> Sent: Monday, April 30, 2001 1:43 PM
> Subject: Re: Which Linux Distro?
> 
> > I second that, debian is definitely the best distro out there, (sorry
for
> > adding to the holy war).
> >
> > But I will admit, for learning, get redhat, has the best support out
> there. I
> > paid the 30 bucks for it, and used the 90 days of free support many
times.
> I
> > also hear lots of good things about mandrake 8, which is also redhat
> based,
> > so I might have to try that. But for just getting started, get redhat,
> since
> > there are more avenues of support for beginners.
> >
> > But debian is by far the best. :-)
> > -Todd
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