Linuxman's Ratings Guide
Required User Level: Intermediate
Installation: Not too bad - Mostly automated, however you may need to input some fields like DCHP etc..
Support: Excellent - forums & online documentation
No. of CD's or DVD's: 5
Media: DVD-R

Debian is more than a pure OS, it comes with over 25,000 Packages and Applications in a huge COMPLETE FIVE DVD set!!

Linux-Man DistrOS is proud to be an Officially Listed Debian DVD Vendor. We will continue to supply the latest Stable Release, currently 5.0r0 Lenny, in both i386 (32bit) port and the new Official AMD64 (64bit) port.

Debian GNU/Linux is a pure GNU GPL operating system, developed by more than a thousand volunteers from all over the world who collaborate via the Internet. Debian's dedication to Free Software, its non-profit nature, and its open development model make it unique among GNU/Linux distributions.

Some of the greatest Linux Distributions are based on Debian. These include (but are not limited too): Linspire, Freespire, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu, Simply-Mepis, Xandros, Knoppix, the list goes on...

What makes Debian unique is it's package management system APT. Installation or Removal of software, including system wide updates can be performed with one simple command. As an example you could install emacs with the command 'apt-get install emacs21'. APT will resolve all dependencies and install automatically. If your not happy using the command line you can install a graphical front end to APT. This application is called Synaptic and makes managing your software a snap. To install Synaptic simply type 'apt-get install synaptic'. You now have a fully graphical package manager with over 25,000 software titles at you finger tips. It doesn't get any better than that.

Version 5.0 introduces a newly developed graphical front-end to the installation system supporting scripts using composed characters and complex languages; the installation system for Debian GNU/Linux has now been translated to 58 languages with out-of-the-box support for encrypted partitions.

Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 package management system has been improved regarding security and efficiency. Secure APT allows the verification of the integrity of packages downloaded from a mirror. Updated package indices won't be downloaded in their entirety, but instead patched with smaller files containing only differences from earlier versions.

Tech Spec:

• Linux Kernel 2.6.26
• KDE 3.5.10
• GNOME 2.22.2
• Iceweasel 3.0.6 (an unbranded version of Mozilla Firefox)
• Icedove 2.0.0.19 (an unbranded version of Mozilla Thunderbird)
• GCC 4.3.2
• The GIMP 2.4.7
• OpenOffice.org 2.4.1