DukeOfURL: Progeny Debian 1.0 Review

May 28, 2001, 21:30 (3 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Daniel Christle)

[ Thanks to Patrick Mullen for this link. ]

The DukeOfURL says Progeny Debian 1.0 is fast, stable, and excellent for users and administrators interested in hands-on management of their machine. On the downside, not all the packages are the most current (the KDE version shipping is 2.0) and automated/integrated security management is lagging.

"Progeny Debian is the commercial version of Debian GNU/Linux. Progeny's CEO and President, Ian Murdock, is the founder of Debian GNU/Linux. Debian is well known for its quality, superior packaging system, and the Debian Social Contract. It has been said that Debian is often the choice of the experienced Linux user and there is probably some truth to that. The releases are slow, favoring stability over the bleeding edge in Linux. Another benefit for experienced users is that Debian puts control over the system in the system administrator's hands. Often the administration is done the old fashioned way - with a text editor.

Debian itself is the product of many man-hours of work by a sizable group of volunteers many who have committed to the aforementioned Debian Social Contract. It is a contract that sets forth a code of morality regarding the use of free software and Debian in particular. In other words there is much more to Debian than just software. Even the project Debian gets its name from unconventional roots, named partly for Ian Murdock's wife Debbie (DebIan - get it?).

In the years since Ian founded Debian it has grown in popularity to the point where it has been used as the basis for other distributions, most notably Corel Linux, Stormix, and Libranet. This is really no surprise due to Debian's reputation for stability and its unique ability to manage software reliably and in real time.

Progeny capitalizes on the many benefits of Debian and couples it with a friendlier installation. Their goal seems to be taking Debian to the commercial desktop where stability, reliability, and ease of administration are more highly valued than bleeding edge software. I think, for the most part, they have done the job well."

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Related Stories:

• DukeOfURL: Linux Distribution Round-Up(May 26, 2001)
• LinuxLookup.com: Progeny Debian 1.0 Linux Review(May 10, 2001)
• LinuxPlanet: gnotebook: Midnight Travels With Progeny(Apr 14, 2001)
• LinuxPlanet: DistributionWatch Review: Progeny Linux beta 2(Jan 25, 2001)