On 11/25/2013 02:38 AM, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
i'll admit that I am really really partial to Debian for several reasons. Unlike in days of old, the network install disk is very good. Bypassing the default Gnome installation is probably the only problem ( Go to custom install for KDE). I am not familiar with the other desktops so can not comment. Aptitude file manager works as either a GUI or command line program. I use it both ways depending on what I am doing. Aptitude GUI for a complete system update and command line for one or two program installations. I find that going to the Debian web page and search for programs is far more efficient than trying to find them on a package manager's list.On Sun, 2013-11-24 at 23:04 +0530, AP wrote:DEB vs RPMThis are 2 of several formats that are handled by package managers. I prefer DEB over RPM, but what I like the most, is the package format used by Arch Linux. Yes, Linux is the kernel, but the word Linux usually is used for a complete install, kernel and user space too. Distros can differ. Very common is that they use different startup processes, Debian does use initscripts by default, IMO the best, Ubuntu does use upstart and most major distros nowadays use systemd. We need to know more about your skills and what you want to do using Linux. Even then we might have different opinions what distro is the best one to use. If you have special needs, such as CNC, then the choice isn't that large, if you need the computer for mailing, web browsing, office work, then the available distros are many and what distro is the best, is much harder to tell. IMO the only good hint I can give, is to use a major distro with a huge community. I'm not using Debian myself at the moment, but IMO it's a good distro to start and perhaps to stay with it forever, or after a while to take a look for a distro, that might fit better to your needs. With the knowledge you will have after a while, a decision is easier. Regards, Ralf
The strongest points for Debian in my estimation is its fantastic system update capability and its rock solid reliability of the stable (wheezy) version. The backport feature allows the use of many testing level programs on a stable installation if you need to go there for some reason. In a linux, open source system the software is constantly changing with minor improvements and bug fixes so there can be 2 or 3 changes a day in your software. Many of these are security fixes that are important. With RPM's it is very hard to stay on top of such changes. With Debian it is a no brainer.
Hope this helps. One persons biased view. Gary R.