Linked by Michael Katsevman on Thu 6th Nov 2003 19:33 UTC
Debian is widely considered the Linux distribution with the best package management tool, APT and one of the largest software bases (>13,000). However, the installation horror stories kept me away. Nevertheless, eager to try it out, I failed to install various other Debian GNU/Linux based distributions. Some failed to boot even after I tried to reinstall for the fourth time, and others just couldn't detect my hardware. While Knoppix is highly recommended, I decided to stick with hard-drive based distros (Although it is the distribution of choice for LiveCDs). Then came Libranet.
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There is nothing wrong with reviewing Libranet after upgrading to the latest sarge.
Libranet is a 100% compatible Debian distro; what you pay for is:
a) 2 CDs with the best packages selected from Debian repositories (sarge in 2.8) so that you don't have to download them.
b) Custom-compiled applications for desktop users... for example, XFree86 is custom-compiled to 4.3, whereas Debian is still running 4.2.1, even in unstable. Evolution and Galeon are also custom-compiled, among others.
c) Access to the Libranet repository, where new sarge-compatible, higher version Debian packages show up often.
d) Better hardware detection, Nvidia support out of the box, etc.
e) Graphical installation program that's a lot better than boot-floppies (not tough to beat).
f) Up-and-running e-mail support.
g) XAdminmenu and adminmenu, for access to lots of useful scripts (some of which were talked about in this review).
The fact that you can upgrade to Debian from Libranet is a FEATURE, not a disadvantage. A Debian-based distro that can't be upgraded to a different Debian branch is _NOT_ really Debian-based. With Libranet, if you upgrade properly, things don't break. I upgraded to sid recently without problems... before that I was pinning sid and running sarge.
IMO, Libranet is last _real_ commercial Debian that has been worth it since Progeny Enhanced.
If anaconda Debian CDs start surfacing, Libranet may be less necessary (X 4.3 can be found from unofficial repositories, along with other "bleeding-edge" packages) but it is still a great distro.