This is everything that Debian Lenny is in terms of stability. After all, SimplyMEPIS is based on Debian Stable. This is everything that the plain Debian cannot be. It is more geared to specific hardware - commodity Intel PC hardware, and it is geared to those who are not necessarily experts at installing and maintaining systems. Those who want to touch stuff are better off using Debian Stable, Testing, or Sid, depending on the desire for stability versus the latest software. I am also a sidux fan and an antiX fan. I use SimplyMEPIS along with Debian Stable for the rock solid systems. I use antiX along with Debian Testing for flexible systems that are a bit more current than Debian Stable, but still work with solid reliability. When I want the absolute cutting edge, I go with Debian Sid and the pre-packaged derivative, sidux. These are my trilogy of Debian based systems and the the trilogy of Debian-derived systems. SimplyMEPIS is the rock among all of them, real stable, not particularly fancy, but one you can always count on. I ALWAYS have a copy of SimplyMEPIS in my collection and I keep it installed.