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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I use (or have used) all of the distributions that people have mentioned here (and more). I have Corel Linux, Knoppix, Libranet, LindowsOS, Mepis, Morphix, and Xandros. I have not yet had a chance to try out Gnoppix though.
I find Libranet, without a doubt, to be the most complete distribution of any of the ones I've mentioned. If completeness is important, give Libranet an A. I also find Libranet to be the most improved of the Debian distributions, and perhaps of any distribution. I first tried using the Libranet 1.9.1 release. It was excellent, but it was not very well documented, nor did it have a disk partition tool that was accessible during installation. By the 2.7 release, both of these issues had been resolved.
The 2.8 and 2.8.1 releases are incredible. The Web site and other information that's available to support the installation and configuration of Libranet is excellent. Out of all of the Debian based distributions I can think of, only LindowsOS and Xandros can compare. LindowsOS is even easier to install, but it's neither as complete nor does it address as broad a market - LindowsOS is very nicely geared to the consumer but definitely not to the geek. Xandros is the best documented of any Debian distro and one of the best documented of any Linux distro, but it's conservative, older software, best suited to stable environments that interact with Windows systems.
Mepis is an excellent LiveCD distribution. I recommend it for anyone who wants to start out with a LiveCD that can later be installed on the hard disk. It comes with plenty of software. Even so, Libranet still reigns as the most complete distro. Mepis and Libranet are my two Debian favorites, without a doubt - at least for my hobbyist interests.