Time to move from Red Hat to Debian? [LWN.net]

Time to move from Red Hat to Debian?

Posted Nov 11, 2003 6:38 UTC (Tue) by MLKahnt (guest, #6642)
In reply to: Time to move from Red Hat to Debian? by wookey
Parent article: Time to move from Red Hat to Debian?

I have spoken of this to questions on the Debian-User mailing list, but think of it this way:

Stable: About as current and a bit more frequently updated than MS Windows, but vastly more reliable.

Testing: Usually more current than all but the version shipped in the last week by any other Linux distributions, and while the least secure of the Debian editions, it still puts MS to shame. About equivalent to sitting in a software wholesaler's warehouse, trying everything that comes in.

Unstable: Very current - about equivalent to sitting at the Beta tester's desk for currency of code, but with the polish of software ready to be used by most users. Still more stable than MS Windows.

I've had breakage with Debian when I tried to install Experimental packages for Gnome 2, but they are just that - still being tuned and integrated to install properly and consistently. I've had Red Hat up2date install software that left the DSL code trying to execute the configuration files for network access - leaving the system offline. I've read reports of breakage with not perfect installation scripts in Debian Unstable, but by the time it reaches Testing, all but the most obscure problems are caught.

If security is a concern - a recently discovered worm unveiling an unknown exploit and this being the patch to seal the hole - it is rare for a Testing user to not be able to move to the Unstable edition of the program - only occasionally requiring noticeable updates in the recent string of glibc updates. Debian packaging policy, edition pinning and apt will resolve which packages must be updated, and what must be removed in the process. Alternately, it is always possible to grab the fixed unstable source and build it against Testing as a Debian package, and install that. Sure, on Windows you wouldn't do that, but on Windows, you wouldn't have the fix that quickly.

(Log in to post comments)