Debian vs. other firewall/server operating systems
I can't comment on other distros as servers, as my experience at the server level has so far been with a minimal command-line only Debian Stable installation. (When I'm given the option of installing packages for the graphical desktop, web server, mail server, etc., I don't select any of them.)
I tried this minimal Debian installation on the desktop in the past and didn't like it. But at the server level, I really appreciate the minimalism. As I have found from trying to upgrade Lenny to Squeeze, certain things about certain packages change. Thus, the more packages you have installed, the more difficult is, because you multiply your chances of running into problems. Given that most companies and organizations need their servers running 24/7/365, it makes sense to use the most stable OS possible for the server. Debian is known for stability in the Linux world, and the Stable branch is stable even by Debian standards. The server doesn't require as many applications as the desktop, so I don't mind a bare-bones Debian installation at the server level. Given concerns about security at the server level, a bare-bones installation seems better, as more applications mean the potential for more security holes.
Given all this, what are the reasons for using the other server operating systems? WHY WHY WHY are there Windows servers out there? I know that Windows has only a small percentage of the server market, but given its inferior stability and security, why is it used at all? At least when a desktop has downtime, only one person is affected. When a server is down, the whole organization/company is affected.
Why do people use Ubuntu on the server given that Debian is more stable? Why do people use RedHat given that it has proprietary features in it? (While it's not Windows, it sounds like a step in the wrong direction.) I've heard that CentOS is MUCH more difficult to upgrade than Debian, so why do people use CentOS on the server?
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Jason Hsu <jhsu802701@jasonhsu.com>
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