Long-term Stability Distros (was Re: [tlug] Flash and Firexfox 2)

[jep200404 <jep200404@example.com>]

Jim Breen wrote:

> I'd sort-of decided to become a Debian person next time I changed, and
> my experience with the EeePc and its etch-based Xandros has been pretty
> positive in terms of the "apt-get update" and "apt-get install yaddayadda"
> experience. 

Of course, if you like Debian, you should also consider Ubuntu. 
It has similar apt-get goodness, and supports the proprietary 
dark side (e.g. Flash?) more than purists. 

> I'm quited pissed off with the way Fedora changes releases
> so quickly and shuts off updates. 

Yup. Red Hat is quite mercenary about this. It's a very important 
part of their business plan to drive folks to paying for the 
stability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). There are several 
free recompilations of RHEL, the most popular of which is Centos. 

> I'm open to arguments about other distros, of course, ...

Oh boy, here we go. 

> ... but long-term stability is a major point with me. 

That narrows the market, making your shopping easier. 

The Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (long term support) version should be of 
significant interest to you. 

RHEL/Centos are also aimed at long term support. A new major 
version is release every year and a half to two years, and is 
supported for 7 years. [1]
If you are going to RHEL/Centos now, you would install 
RHEL/Centos 5, and have about another five years of support. 
We're due for a new major version, so if you wait a while, 
you could probably install RHEL/Centos 6, and stick with it 
for 7 years. 

Centos is free. RHEL is normally big bucks, 
but academic licenses should be cheap for you. 
Red Hat has its own way of doing things, so there are big 
differences between Fedora/RHEL/Centos and Debian/Ubuntu. 
Migrating from Fedora to RHEL or Centos will be easier 
than migrating to Debian or Ubuntu. 

> I like to put something in, polish it up, and leave it.

I recommend that you try several distros before choosing 
which one to polish. 

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RHEL