Slackware Linux is generally considered to be the most UNIX-like Linux distribution, but also the most difficult. These two features are what make Slackware stand out above all other Linux distributions. Slackware makes you learn what is going on. Slackware requires you to be aware of every little bit there is to know about your configuration. From this, you learn a lot, even after only a few months. As a result, you feel more confident about your abilities and soon you may have the experience to solve almost any problem on your own.

Another advantage of Slackware is that its package format requires no special tools to use. While there are a few utilities that come with Slackware to make this process slightly easier, it requires no special software. No matter what distribution you use, if you find a Slackware package ("slackpak") with something you like and decide to install it, you can do so at the command line with the following commands:

tar xzf package.tgz
install/doinst.sh

The primary difference between Slackware and Debian is a utility that comes with Debian called Apt. Apt is nothing more than a glorified FTP client, just like Napster is nothing more than a glorified IRC client. Of course, it has some added features (which is why I called it "glorified"), but it has no inherent advantages over FTP other than the fact that you don't have to search for an FTP server. I personally consider that to be more of a disadvantage than an advantage, because Apt just picks out a server from a list of servers it has on the local computer, which means that you have no idea whether or not you are actually downloading a trojan. If you download source from the official FTP server for whatever it is you are downloading, you are guaranteed a clean, UP-TO-DATE copy. While it is true that I have no way of knowing if the binaries from my installation CD are in fact trojans themselves, once I download and compile the source I don't have that problem [1] (unless the compiler itself is a trojan designed to insert the necessary compromising code into whatever it is compiling). Plus, I'm more likely to trust a company that has a lot to lose if its products compromise its customers' security than a group of volunteers with nothing to lose.

My main problem with Debian, then, is that the only difference between Debian, Apt, has no advantages that I can see over simply FTPing the source. It does not cause the packages to download any faster, and it definitely doesn't make the process any less complex because it is necessary to maintain a list of servers from which to download the packages. And if no package exists, then you're back to just FTPing the source anyway. So why not just use Debian but not use Apt? The answer is simple--BSD init is better than SysV init. Don't ask me why. It just is.

RedHat Linux is an entirely different story. It bills itself as being a distribution for total Linux newbies. However, it really is just the opposite. The primary attractiveness of RedHat to newbies is that it features many friendly, cute configuration tools. While that sounds all good and well, the problem is that the users become dependent on these configuration tools and never learn how to edit the configuration files that these tools are really just frontends for themselves. The problem arises when the user accidentally changes a setting in the configuration tool such that something stops working. What's more, the piece that was broken is such that the user is unable to get back to the configuration tool to change the setting back. The newbie, who has become dependent on these tools, hasn't the slightest idea of how to edit the configuration file to change the setting back and often winds up having to reinstall totally. Because of this, I feel that RedHat should be used not by newbies but by experienced sysadmins for the convenience of the graphical utilities so that in case the sysadmin should screw something up, he or she will be able to fix it without using the configuration tool. RedHat, no matter what it may claim, is not the best distro for newbies. I started out with Slackware, and I learned so much in a short time. Slackware is best for the newbie who wants to dive into Linux and learn all there is to know.

If you find that I have made a grammatical error, an erroneous statement, or have left out a fact you feel should be included, please email me so that I may make a correction. Similarly, if you find a logical flaw in one of my arguments, contact me and if you have a strong argument against me that I cannot defeat I will change the item in question.

1. I am aware that you can also download source packages with Apt, but the source packages could have the code for the trojan within them waiting to be compiled.