There is really only one ...

http://forums.debian.net/

There are other good ones, but that's where the action is.

This is exaggerating slightly. Learning means passing from point A to a higher point B. This implies a certain effort and sometimes even pain. That's why learners need to be accompanied - helped, in places like this. Of course, the step from A to B mustn't be too big, otherwise frustration will ensue and learning won't take place. That's why the analogy with sending 6-year-olds to college isn't valid. However, asking a six year old to move from doing the sum 2+2=4 to playing around with other numbers whose sums are less than 10 is a valid move (read Vygotsky - he's very interesting. He calls this the zone of proximal development) It's the same with Linux. Debian is good because it does push understanding that little bit more. Suse, for example, mostly does "baby steps" and there are few opportunities to really learn.

LOL!
But my yast2 was (although not so fast) not really slo.
Please man, don't compare yast2 with manually configuring files...
LOL again...

But for me, since I have been using Slackware, I found Debian is a little bit more difficult here..

Debian does not have this:
mouseconfig
netconfig (at least by default, and I don't know where to get it)
pkgconfig
and all start-up script is different(I mean the location, and style)..

But for overall, both Debian and Slackware is good for learning. Life with those two won't be useless....

Once you get past the initial setup and configuration post-install debian etch is by far your best choice for an OS that just works and never breaks.

Point taken. Actually, I wasn't really fair here. What I meant was that the software management part of YaST is dreadful. The hardware management part, although slow, is very slick. But it's true that there isn't much room to learn with such a gui-orientated approach. But a lot of people like this, of course.

Duh. But I'm talking the people that dont want to go through that initial setup and post install configurations...

Yeah, you pretty much have to set up your mouse and network card manually, if the installer doesn't do it correctly. Which it usually does. But the Debian Reference guide will tell you how.

I've been playing with Slackware -current for the past week, and it's been an interesting experience. Links for SysV-style init scripts have been added (e.g. /etc/rc0.d through /etc/rc6.d) so it's now compatible with both SysV-style and BSD-style init scripts (hopefully my terminology is correct).

Those guys in the Slackware forum seem to like compiling programs manually. I'm trying to get Beryl working, and it's been a challenge.

Did you read this? http://wiki.beryl-project.org/wiki/I...l_on_Slackware

Anyway, you'll definitely like using Debian. SuSE is impressive until you actually try to use it, in which case you'd think your computer was running Windows again (tons of hdd access with suse). Sorry SuSE fans, but there's no excuse for loading that many services.

The only possible tricky area on Debian is partitioning and selecting what packages to install at the end, but even that's pretty simple. If you want, you can install a base system and then apt-get what you want. (I usually install a full gnome and xorg package even though rickh cringes when you do that )

I cut my teeth on Slackware in 1995. Installing the base software was a snap. I just bought a book that had the info., carefully did all of the research, then jumped in. The installer was text based, but still straightforward. I think it would have been daunting to a beginner, but only a beginner unwilling to read and learn.

However, back in 1995, hardware support was not all that great. The version of Slackware I got from a book was too old, apparently to support my Diamond graphics card on that 1995 box. I did some research from a system at work, found what I needed, downloaded it, copied it to a floppy, and put the necessary stuff on my system. I was able to get an X11 Window Manager going even before this, but it was limited to 640x480 resolution and 16 colors. After I got the updated driver, I was able to get full functionality.

That would have freaked out a complete novice, but both Slackware and just about everything else is worlds better today in hardware support.

After Slackware, I went with a couple of easy distros. I found Caldera OpenLinux eDesktop 2.4 to be amazing in how it was able to install onto a laptop alongside Windows without disrupting Windows at all and without having to understand a thing about partitioning. Too bad Caldera fell into the hands of SCO. Ransom Love, the CEO before Darl McBride, had a great idea of how to run create an easy to use desktop Linux for business, but business was not ready for it, and hobbyists wanted more hands on.

After Caldera OpenLinux, I went with Mandrake, then Red Hat and had good experiences with each of them.

Then right after that, I dove into Debian. I had issues at first because my copy of Debian was really old, and again I ran into hardware support issues. But then a friend gave me a copy of Libranet 1.9.1, and I was in nirvana. Libranet added stuff automatically that was not included in stock Debian, but other than that, stayed out of the way. They had the best administrative tools in the world, even comparing to today. Alas, their founder died a couple of years ago and his son decided not to continue Libranet.

But it was Libranet that gave me just enough of an ease into Debian that I was then able to pursue the raw, underlying Debian tools. They took a little learning curve, but they turned out to be surprisingly easy. Once set up, they make updating Debian by far the easiest of any system.

Today I use Debian derived systems. My favorite is SimplyMEPIS, simply because on a day to day basis I just use Linux systems as my routine desktop. When I really want to get into it, I still use either a Debian Testing or Debian Sid system, usually starting from a Debian netinst and going from there. IF you want a slight accelerator or a jump start on that, Sidux is a good one.

To me, virtually all of the top five or six systems in terms of ease of installation and immediate use are Debian based.

To really learn, I recommend either Slackware, Debian, or possibly something like Gentoo Linux or Linux from Scratch. Beware, though. Both Gentoo Linux and Linux from Scratch take inordinately long amounts of time to build a complete system. You need another system to use if you are going to experiment with them, otherwise they will tie up your hardware. For me, it just isn't worth the bother. I know how to build software; I worked on a commercial UNIX development team for three years. I am more interested in convenience. I know how to get around the convenient tools so using easy distros don't inhibit me in the least. Instead, they speed me into using the system, then I do what I want with them from that point.

Last comment: I probably have between ten and fifteen distinct distributions spread across two desktops and three disks. I can afford to trash any of them, so I am not afraid to do wild things. Sometimes I deliberately try to break something. That helps me figure out how it works. If you have the liberty to do this, it is also a great way to learn, and it is safe because there are always multiple alternatives available.

I started off with Suse and after trying a lot of distros I've ended up with Debian. If I'd started with Debian I could saved years of re-installing and configuration. Debian is not hard to install and if you can read there's a great deal of info on the net.

BTW, yast, yast2, SAX etc are no match for apt.

Do people that can't read really use the computer? To me, it seems impossible to use a computer if you can't read...

I tried SUSE first too. IMHO it is very slow, requires tons of HD space and long Yast update sessions during which computer freezes from time to time. Debian worked much better for me in all respects.

I had the same experience. I stopped using it because I just compared yast2 and apt (not fair..)
Apt is really good also on a network point of view. I use apt-get update as a network bandwidth tester

So who's going to defend Suse after all this, then? Let's face it, guys, Debian wins hands down!

Let's make the same thread in OpenSuse forum and see