just curious about Debian vs Redhat

[clread]

I've used both Debian (at home) and Redhat (at work). Both have reasonable tools for managing software (dpkg for Debian, rpm for Redhat).   I've also done upgrades for both Debian and Redhat. The upgrade I did for Debian took several nights and a few e-mails. The upgrade for Redhat took about 20 minutes (no joke).   What is Debian's thrust?  Why is it better than Redhat? [I'm just curious and not taking sides.]   Charlie