Debian 5.0 Continues Strong Linux Tradition (
Page 1 of 2 )
Version 5 of the Debian GNU/Linux open-source operating system offers the same top management tools and processor support that previous versions of the Linux operating system have. There also are a host of updates to open-source components, and the Linux distribution is still a great fit for servers and a solid desktop choice. However, the top reason for upgrading from version 4 may be the relatively short three-year security fix window, less than the coverage time offered with Ubuntu and Red Hat Enterprise Linux-derived CentOS.Debian GNU/Linux, the open-source operating system that's proven
more influential than any Linux flavor this side of Red Hat, recently
hit the Internet's FTP mirrors in the form of an updated 5.0 release.
Version 5, which is also known by the Toy Story-inspired name
Lenny, sports the same excellent software management tools and broad
processor architecture support that marked previous Debian releases. In
addition, the new release includes a host of updates to the open-source
components that comprise it.
Unlike the Debian 4 release that I last reviewed, which impressed me
with its disk encryption leadership among rival Linux distributions,
Lenny doesn't significantly advance the state of Debian or of Linux in
general. Beyond its slate of software package refreshes, the best
reason for existing Debian users to upgrade to the new version is that,
as per the project's security policy, version 4 will fall out of
security fix coverage one year after Lenny's Valentine's Day release
date.
Stability and long life are frequently cited as the chief reasons
for choosing Debian, particularly in server roles for which
administrators might wish to set and forget their machines. However,
the roughly three-year security fix window that applies to Debian
releases falls short of the five years of coverage that Ubuntu offers
for its Long Term Support releases, or the seven years that the
similarly free-to-acquire CentOS derives from the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux releases on which CentOS is based.
Still, Debian is a great fit for server deployments, and is
particularly well-suited for hosting applications that draw on
open-source components, such as Apache, MySQL, or any of the other
thousands of applications that the Debian project has packaged up for
easy installation over one of the project's many repository mirror
sites.
I often turn to Debian as a foundation for assembling virtual
servers for my testing, since the distribution's very good text-based
installer makes it easy to spin Debian into whatever arbitrary sort of
Linux server I seek, and since I find the configuration applets that
come bundled with many Debian packages handy for setting up unfamiliar
components.
Debian 5.0 can also work well in a desktop role, thanks in part to
what appear to be contributions drawn from the Ubuntu Linux releases
that are themselves based on a Debian foundation. For instance, during
my Lenny testing, I recognized the system's Update Manager and Software
Add/Remove tools from my use of Ubuntu.
Debian 5.0 defaults to GNOME 2.22.2 as its desktop environment, but
offers KDE 3.5.10 and Xfce 4.4.2, among other, lesser known options, as
desktop alternatives.
Finally, Debian's broad processor architecture supportwhich spans
12 architectures and sets the distribution apart from any other Linux
flavor of which I'm awaremakes Debian a natural fit for the
fast-growing class of embedded Linux implementations.
Debian is freely available for download from the Debian project or from one of its mirrors via www.us.debian.org.
As a noncommercial entity, the Debian project doesn't offer support
beyond community resources, although the project maintains a directory
of companies offering support services here.
The entire Debian distribution, which includes all the freely
redistributable packages in the project's main repository, spans 31 CDs
or five DVDs. I typically download the distribution's 180MB network
install image and pull down the packages I need from a friendly
neighborhood mirror site.
Linux & Open Source 
/ 17 
