Debian vs Slackware Stability

These Distros are the Kings of stability and outdated packages. The argument could be made that even their unstable versions (current and sid) are outdated. I think Debian is more stable. As their outdated fork of firefox has to make it more stable.

Though this doesn't make Debian better

Slackware isn't really that outdated in most cases. And no one forces you to keep older releases anyway - you're perfectly free to make a package for a newer program and update it whenever you feel like it. I regularly update several apps to the most current version (my Nvidia driver, Wine, my web browser, and a few others). This is a lot harder to do with Debian, if you want to keep a working system.

I use both and have for years.

I really must abstain, because I can't choose.

If you run the latest version of Slackware, it is not outdated. You get regular updates as well, mostly for stability or security.

They are both quite stable. I vote for Slackware because I use it.

I cant really speak for slackware, I'm not a regular user. But in my experience, slackware and debian are both very stable.

Pity you didnt have a 'roughly the same for stability' option in the poll.

Originally Posted by asipper These Distros are the Kings of stability and outdated packages.

Umm....try centOS/Red Hat for some really 'outdated' packages. Mind you, centOS/Red Hat has the same sort of stablity as slackware and debian stable, possibly they would be even more stable.

Now that I think about it since Slackware is pretty vanilla that could also make it a lot more stable. And while Slackware has outdated packages there really not that outdate when a look at them.

"Stable" can mean two things:
1: Only security updates. No new versions of software just for the sake of newness.
2: Doesn't fall over, break easily, explode.
One thing Slackware and Debian stable have in common: they are released WHEN THEY'RE READY. Unlike some other distros...

Originally Posted by brianL One thing Slackware and Debian stable have in common: they are released WHEN THEY'RE READY. Unlike some other distros...

Actually, unlike most other distros, especially major distros.

Slackware -current is more stable than Debian stable IMHO
hands down

Stability depends mainly on how you use your system I think.
Sometimes, people come from windows OS, do everything as root etc..

Originally Posted by asipper These Distros are the Kings of stability and outdated packages.

???
I got the latest Firefox, Thunderbird and Seamonkey with the regular updates on Slackware, looks not outdated to me.
Anyways, I run Debian on my fileserver (still to lazy to change it to Slackware) and it runs 24/7 without any problems for months. I think the same will be true if I change it to Slackware. So your poll is missing an option here: Both are equally stable.

"Outdated" can be in the eye of the beholder. What one person might consider outdated because it's v. 5.6.x instead of v. 5.6.x+1 could be in another person's view considered "proven."

"Not the very latest" is not the same as obsolete.

My two favorite distros. I use both, and cultist hit the nail on the head. Its a lot harder to upgrade packages in debian without breaking other things. I am torne but am going to have to give a vote to debian but only because of what I said above. By upgrading packages you risk bringing in a broken package, while debian has a repo set up with packages that are supposed to work well together. So while I sometimes I wish slack had dependency checking, if it did, then it would probably suffer the same limitation debian has.

Originally Posted by Knightron My two favorite distros.

What he said.

Between the two, I slightly prefer Slackware because I find it simpler and more straightforward as regards the organization of /etc, and I prefer Slackware's boot-to-the-command-line-by-default way of doing things. Indeed, I made my Debian boot to the command line most sweetly.

I may be influenced by having started with and learned on Slack. And those are matters of taste, not of stability.

It is interesting that two such very different distros could end up as our two favorites.

Both. I started out using both after Caldera Linux broke me into linux.