If you are lurking and just "thinking about Linux", you must be very confused.
There are HUNDREDS of different distributions "distros" of Linux. What to do?
I started with Red Hat (now Fedora) then deflected through Gentoo and wound up where
I wanted to start, Debian. At first I avoided Debian because it was a "Linux Users Linux" -- not
necessarily newbie friendly.
But enough of that, newb ... Now Debian/Ubuntu is ABSOLUTELY the place to start. Debian has
always had the power and the stability, and with addition of Ubuntu and its very good forums, new users were taken care of.
So -- You are confused -- which is it -- Debian or Ubuntu? Well newb -- Ubuntu is flashier -- if you are under 30 and just assume your computer will play every flash game, video, java applet and iTune that comes along w/out trouble and that furthermore it will run on your laptop and let you take it to Starbucks or an airport, then you want Ubuntu.
If you actually might want to run your business on your computer(s) and your main concern is for what we over 40 types actually call "computing", then run Debian.
What about me? Well, on my Lenovo Thinkpad T61 laptop I run Ubuntu gutsy gibbon. I started with Debian Etch, but the wireless support for that laptop was just too much trouble.
On every other computer I use, from a 10-computer student lab I administer, to the several computers in my office/lab/home, to the numerous computers I am deploying as wirelessly-linked field instruments for lightning research, I run Debian "etch".
Why? Debian "etch" is the latest "stable" release. The next one is "Lenny" (older versions were Woody and Sarge -- and the latest -- always "unstable" version well ALWAYS be called "Sid". Presumably you get the (Toy Story) pattern by (Toy Story subliminal) now.). Anyway, when Debian says "stable" they mean stable. It is common for Debian machine to run a hundred days or more without a reboot. The price you pay for "stable" is that your packages can be two-three years behind. While that may sound like a problem, three years ago was 2006. Pretty much everything you need for serious work was well done by 2006!! But wait -- there's more.
Tonight I implemented "backports". I'd heard about it, but not done anything about it. Here's a link:
http://www.backports.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=instructions. What is backports for? It is "backward ports" of the latest versions of various programs. If you don't want to upgrade your entire Debian Etch computer to Lenny or Syd (as in, what part of "testing" and "unstable" don't you understand) you can still get isolated pieces of advanced code -- the ones you care about. This code is from testing (Lenny), not from Syd, so, in the Debian world, it's actually pretty good (about like a Windows app ... grin).
How to do it?
Add one line to /etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://www.backports.org/debian etch-backports main contrib non-free
Having done that:
apt-get -t etch-backports -s install gnucash
Install any programs you want the latest versions of -- and ONLY those. The "-s" is a practice
option. Take it out when you actually mean it. So I was hurting for the latest gnucash -- and now I'm not.
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