As I was getting ready to install debian on a new machine I discovered that Debian 3.0r1 was released in December. Why didn't I notice and why didn't I care?

One of the major reasons that I moved to Debian is that while the install is a bit clunky, maintaining the system is way easier then RedHat. To make sure that I have the latest in security updates all I have to do is make sure that the config file for apt-get is pointed at the security site for packages, and any package that is updated will automatically be pulled down once I run apt-get dist-upgrade. I love that.

Now, I know, some of you RedHat fans might say, "that's what up2date" does. And it does...but last I checked you have to register the machine, register with RedHat and then you can only update one machine without paying for the up2date service. If you ask me, that's just wrong. Even MicroSoft makes patching easy with their update program (which comes with the OS). So, for me, I'll put up with a few install warts, just so the maintainance is easier.

So what does this have to do with 3.0r1? Well, I keep my systems updated a couple times a week, and I never have to worry about a minor upgrade to Debian. I really doubt that I would even have to worry about a 3.x upgrade. And since Debian worrys more about stability then having the latest stuff, it will be a while before 4.0 comes out.

Overall, ease of maintainance is why I've moved to Debian. And I don't see myself moving to something else anytime soon.