Reasons Why I Recommend Using Debian Linux

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I have been using Debian for more than 3 years and the truth is that I am more than satisfied. At the moment I do not consider changing distribution basically for the following reasons:  

YOUR REPOSITORIES ARE EXCELLENT

Debian has some exceptional software repositories for the following reasons:

  1. The amount of programs that we can find in the repositories is enormous in quantity and quality.
  2. The software packages of the repositories are well maintained by the developers. Dependency problems do not usually exist and in the case that a package presents an error, it is usually solved quickly.
  3. The repositories give us the freedom to choose if we want to have proprietary packages. Therefore Debian gives the possibility to those who are purists of having a 100% free operating system.
  4. The package manager provides tools to be able to mix packages from different branches. This offers the possibility of downloading a multitude of packages and programs from a single centralized site.
  5. There are free and proprietary drivers for almost all graphics cards and the rest of our computer hardware.

THE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED BY Debian

  I like the way Debian follows to develop and evolve their versions.
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Its methodology to develop the distribution is largely responsible for the stability provided by this operating system. Broadly speaking, the Debian development methodology is as follows:

  • Initially, the newer packages are uploaded to the unstable and experimental branches.
  • As the packages of the unstable branch are being tested by the developers and by the users, errors are corrected and they are upgraded to the testing branch.
  • At a certain moment, it is decided that the Debian testing branch enters the freezing phase. At this time, no new packages will be included in testing and developers will focus exclusively on correcting errors and making the system stable.
  • When all bugs are closed and the system is considered stable, the Debian Testing branch becomes a new version of stable Debian and in the testing branch, new packages will be re-entered.

Consequences of the development methodology

This way of developing the operating system manages to provide a stable and adequate Linux distribution to different types of users.

Each of the 3 branches of Debian is suitable for a different type of user. So in this way:

Debian Stable: It is the appropriate branch for users who need to mount and manage a server in production. The base profile of a stable Debian user is the following:

  1. Users who use the computer in a professional environment.
  2. People who prefer stability and solidity before having the most current versions of Software.
  3. Users who want an operating system that gives them zero problems.

Debian Testing: Ideal branch for desktop computers and for common users who have the following type of profile:

  1. Users who use the computer to work or consume content.
  2. People who are demanding to use current versions of programs.
  3. People who do not care about resolving incidents that can occur very punctually.

Debian Unstable (Unstable): Perfect branch for users who like to experiment and play with the operating system. Unstable Debian users tend to have the following profile:

  1. Users who are developers and/or with a technical profile.
  2. People who like to experiment with the operating system.
  3. Users who like to contribute their grain of sand to make the operating system evolve.
  4. Users who do not mind resolving incidents/problems that occur in the operating system.

Note: Various branches of Debian have been mentioned throughout this section. Apart from the branches mentioned there is the Old Stable branch that is responsible for supporting stable versions that are not the most current version.  

STABILITY AND SECURITY

The stable version of Debian provides great stability, but the other branches of Debian are not far behind.

I have been using Debian testing for more than 3 years and I can say that I have not had any incidence related to the operating system. In addition, the few incidents I have had have been solved relatively easily.

​Debian is a secure system because in the case of security vulnerabilities are solved quickly by its developers.

SUPPORT EXISTING FOR DISTRIBUTION

In case of having problems, they can be solved quickly and effectively for the following reasons:

  1. It is a universal operating system and behind it, there is a large community of people willing to help their users.
  2. There are forums in English and Spanish able to respond and guide users in case they have doubts and/or problems.
  3. Ubuntu is based on Debian. Therefore in the Ubuntu help forums, we can also find help and support to solve the problems that can occur on a day to day basis.

OFFERS MULTIPLE POSSIBILITIES OF INSTALLATION AND USE

It offers multiple installation possibilities. Some of the possibilities are the following:

  1. Installation through a netinstall.
  2. Installation using a complete ISO image.
  3. It can be tested on a LiveCD or LiveUSB
  4. There are ISO installation images that offer proprietary components as standard to facilitate installation.

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In short, the result of installing Debian from a complete ISO is a distribution that we can start using out of the box without practically doing anything. Note: The installation process from a complete ISO is extremely simple since your installer is simple and intuitive.

On the other hand if what we want is a distro to our measure with only the packages and functionalities that we need we can make a netinstall.

In my case, I always use Debian through a netinstall. In this way, I am installing the programs and the functionalities as I need them.

​To finish just say that Debian is compatible with many architectures. This allows installing Debian on many devices such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a personal computer, servers, supercomputers, etc.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE DISTRIBUTION

It is a community distribution that does not intend to exploit distribution for commercial purposes, such as Red Hat and Ubuntu.

This point for me is a guarantee to preserve our security and our privacy.

​​Who is interested in this point I invite you to read the social contract of Debian.

Conclusion

We do not have to be formatting our computer every 6 months since the testing and unstable branches follow a model close to the Rolling Release. If we install Debian Testing or Unstable we will never have to reinstall our operating system because the Debian repositories are updated daily with new Software. In this way, when we update our operating system, we will receive the relevant updates progressively and we will always be using current software versions.

Users who choose to use the stable version will have 5-year support and in case they want to have current software versions they can use the Debian backports repositories.

Note: The intention of this post is not to say that Debian is superior to the rest of the distributions. I only try to describe the aspects that I like and for which I use Debian.