[olug] Redhat Versus Debian

[Dave Burchell]

Jon Warren says:

> > If you want an easy distribution, don't pick Debian; it's not what you
> > want.  Sure, it is a lot easier than, say, Slackware or Windows NT, but
> > Debian is the distribution of doing it right even if it hurts. 
> > -- 
> > Dave Burchell                                          40.49'N, 96.41'W
> > Free your mind and your software will follow.              402-467-1619
> > http://incolor.inetnebr.com/burchell/                  burchell at acm.org     
> 
> Is Slackware really that bad?  I have installed it and prefer its simplicity over Redhat.  I don't have to learn a complex runlevel scheme and I never get dependency problems from installing something on my own instead of through a package manager(rpm).  I have had a great experience with Slackware.  I have only tried RedHat and Slackware and Mandrake but it has been a while on Mandrake and I never could finish the install.  I don't have any problems recomending Slackware.

Oops, I forgot my smiley. :-)

I've found package management in general, and apt-get (a Debian feature)
in particular, quite handy for a lazy person like myself.  For example:

* "apt-get upgrade" lets you update your system automagically via the 'net.

* Using "dpkg -S filename" you can figure out what package "owns" a file on
your system and from that info figure out what it does.

* You can still install your owns stuff under /usr/local, which Debian
package management does not touch.

However, none of this means Slackware is bad; it may be better for you.
For example:

* Any software you install can be built to your specific needs

* You'll learn a lot more about your system by building yourself.

I don't claim Debian is better than Slackware, just easier for most
people.

> 
> -Jon
> 
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-- 
Dave Burchell                                          40.49'N, 96.41'W
Free your mind and your software will follow.              402-467-1619
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/burchell/                  burchell at acm.org     

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