Moran Cohen writes:
> I've been using the same slackware distribution since 1996.
> before that i also used slackware.
> My question: what distribution best fits whose needs ?
Often asking such a question is asking for trouble. But I'll try to
make a quick rundown.
Slackware is for people that like to do it all by themselves, and IMHO
have too much time on their hands. Installing a program means
compiling and installing it, which it iften a PITA, and in most cases
by orders of magnitude slower than downloading a ready package as with
other distributions. It's magnificent for learning, but IMO it's a
pain to maintain.
Red Hat is a slick commercial distro that is best for new Linux
users. It's very easy and quick to grasp and pretty easy to
maintain. It's a great distro to get started with.
Debian is mostly for people who already know Linux, or for those who
don't but have a guru at hand to ask questions. Its packaging tool is
hard to master as compared to RPM (Red Hat's Package Manager), its
installation is much less transparent to people who use it the first
time (even if they know Linux already). In other words, you have to
screw with it a bit for the first time. After that, though, you won't
take anything else. Instead of pasting the reasons why here please see
my essay on the issue at http://alexsh.hectic.net/debian.html .
--
Alex Shnitman
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://alexsh.hectic.net
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Linux and other Open Source advocates are making a progressively more
credible argument that Open Source software is at least as robust --
if not more -- than commercial alternatives. The Internet provides an
ideal, high-visibility showcase for the Open Source world.
-- Internal Microsoft memo
