Debian

From Linux 101

Debian: The way the truth and the light.

If you've run any form of linux distro before and are considering changing, give Debian a serious thought; especially if you've got a reasonable network connection.

Principle reasons include:

1. apt
2. dselect a frontend to apt
3. Configuration files go in the right places.
4. Program alternatives are managed for you.
5. Configuration is generally handled for you upon installation of the package.
6. Stable distributions make excellent server platforms.
7. Testing and unstable distributions available for bleeding-edge desktops, for the brave or just foolhardy :-).

Negative points:

1. Installation tricky for less experienced users.
2. Sometimes have to work around not having debs available.
3. The debian prescribed way of managing your kernel sucks. You don't have complete control over what is installed (if this bothers you, try Slackware RedHat or something FreeBSD else). (Editors Note: //Actually you do have control over what you have installed, it's just horribly confusing without the FAQ in front of you.// -oPless)

Go to [debians website] for background reading. HP supports Debian ! [lx_debian]