Matt> I may get jeers for promoting BSD on a Linux list but if you Matt> want good package management with dependency checks the only way Matt> to go these days is *BSD ports tree. My forward facing boxen all Matt> run OpenBSD. I run FreeBSD on my one co-lo box that's facing the public directly. Mostly because I know the *BSD distros are quite secure out of the box, and because I wanted to learn their foibles. So far, it's been working well, with only one problem, when someone found out I had an open ftp server and filled my disk with crap. I nuked it and shutdown the ftp server and all has been fine since.
I originally came from a BSD style init background, which I liked quite alot, then moved to the SYSV style of /etc/rc#.d/... which I hated at first. But after thinking it through, it's a much much better way to do things. It lets you manage application and daemon startup in a clean and consistent manner, without having to watch out for other packages nearly as much.
Matt> I agree that the old way is just that old! I clearly see the Matt> utility in using the sysV init its much more flexible, but if Matt> you are just running a desktop and starting a small number of Matt> services the old way is just fine. Further more Slackware Matt> provides support for the new way as well. I still thank that the SYSV init setup (which is just as old as BSD stuff!) is better all around, even for a desktop. I also believe that there's little difference between a desktop and a server, except for how they are used and the extent they are used. But since I manage systems for a living in a development environment, I have a different perspective than someone who's just using a system at home. Matt> Amiga sweet! I always wanted an Amiga, I had a C64 and C128. I had an Amiga 1000 (bought the first month they were available) and then an Amiga 2500. Finally got rid of the last in the mid 90's when I realized that Linux/Intel was the way to go. Matt> When you do make your decition tell us what you chose and why ? Matt> It would be interesting to read. Of course I hope you chose Matt> Slackware! Well, so far I've been playing with Debian and getting it going. I admit it's been a pain since it doesn't want to detect my ethernet card out of the box, so it defaults to only offering PPP for connection to the internet. And since I have a Matrox G450 with an HP A4331D monitor (21", 1280x1024), it's been a friggin pain and won't give me a proper setup. Mostly I think it's really a kernel issue, since I *hate* using modules for most stuff. I generally compile all the core stuff I need into my kernel so it's there from the get go. The default debian kernel is modular and not workign well with X for some reason. I'll fix it soon enough... and I did make it boot up with a 2.4.18 kernel from the start, thanks to whomever gave the -24bf hint. I may still punt and goto RH9 to see how well it does, but I'm slowing coming to like how Debian works. It's not perfect, but apt-get is kinda addictive. Though it's got quirks that annoy me too. So, the next big issue is determining how I can mirror my entire root disk and still boot of either half of the mirror properly. It's a pair of 18gb SCSI disks, with a pair of 120gb IDE drives for /home and /usr/local sometime down the line. Now to get the SCSI drive(s) setup with RAID on boot. John