Debian 5.0 (Lenny) out

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/16/debian_lenny_review/ I've tried other distributions from time to time over the decades, usually when I've manage to trash my filesystems, but always come back to Debian. The core of a distribution is package management, and the Debian system (apt on top of dpkg) is the only one that actually works well in a reasonable amount of time. None of the other ones I've tried come close. Sorry RedHat etc.: if y'all would just ditch your inferior package-management and adopt the Debian way, I'd give you another try. Package management doesn't matter for someone who just wants to install from a disk and then let it sit except for maybe light security upgrades and so forth. I stay right on the bleeding edge, so package management is important for me. Ubuntu is apt-based because it is Debian-based. I don't see how Ubuntu could survive if Debian quit. I tried it repeatedly but their attitude is very MSFT: they know best and you will do things their way or else. If you're running Ubuntu, you'll probably eventually switch to Debian or throw in the towel and submit to AAPL or MSFT (less and less difference between them). Debian is by no means perfect, but their extremely conservative philosophy (I have to run Debian/experimental just to have even a chance of trashing my FSs or otherwise having some fun) compensates to some degree for what I see as the main deficit of Free Software as opposed to corporate products: good release engineering. Face it, testing and bug-hunting are boring and not at all sexy, so it is not surprising it is harder to get people to do it for free than the more flashy aspects of hacking. The Linux Kernel has serious ongoing bugs (I've documented a few) which are simply ignored, probably because working on new features is more fun. I keep an eye on things like Haiku because I think Linux has been around long enough that it might be succumbing to the inevitable accumulation of dead wood at the top of the food chain, creating an opening for a fresh start. But Debian already runs (to some degree at least) on kernels other than Linux, and I think it will survive longer than the Linux kernel does. Of course, MSFT and (according to some reports) AAPL manage to remain bug-ridden even with a paid cast of thousands. There are apparently some things even money can't fix.