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Debian turns 30 – and important to Linux world as ever
(www.theregister.com)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
I've been happily running Debian for over a decade. Stable for servers, Testing or SID for laptops and desktops. The original installs not still running and upgrading are ones on hardware too obsolete to be useful (SheevaPlug). Still probably supported by Debian though!
Including one install that started as Mint Debian Edition, was upgrading to Testing, then cross graded from 32bit to 64bit, been through 3 motherboards and is now Stable for it's final days before the disk is scrapped.
I love the pacakaging, the philosophy and all the platforms supported (including really old ones).
I literally count it among the proof humans are not irredeemable.
Edit: Expand about "obsolete".
How stable is Testing for daily use by the way?
Absolutely fine. Probably helps I'm a XFCE man so at least my desktop doesn't suddenly change. I enjoy the constant incrementing of stuff. Gets boring before a Stable release during the freeze.