[ExtractStream] Re: Ok, got started last night.

[sharkey@a...]

> I am ready to give up on muxing my streams in windows and ready to 
> linux a try.

I gave up on Windows six years ago...

> Is debian the way to go or are there other flavors of 
> linux just as good.

Debian rules. It's definitely the *only* way to go. (But keep in mind that
I can also be reached as sharkey@d..., so, my opinions may be slightly
biased. :) )

There are *lots* of different Linux distributions out there, and which one
is best doesn't really matter. The question is, which one is best for you?

For me, Debian is best, but I'm not a novice. Debian is often criticized
for being difficult to install and rather tough for new users. I don't
really know if I agree with that assessment, but remember, I'm biased.

Once Debian is installed and you've got it running and you generally know
what you're doing, it's really sweet. General maintenance and installing
new software and updates under Debian is easier than under any other
distribution. (biased, remember?)

It seems like once a week or so somebody posts his own comparative review
of Linux distributions. I'm sure you can find any number of them on the
web with a simple google search.

Very few of these articles really give you a feeling for what is really right
for you. I still think the best comparitive review I've read so far
has been Segfault.org's "If Linux Distributions Were Airlines".

http://segfault.org/story.phtml?mode=2&id=38cfc89a-0983c760

You really have to just try something and see if you like it.

> Ideally I would like to install a version of linux 
> that has a JVM.

Debian includes just about everything you can think of. If it's legal to
distribute, it's probably in Debian.

Eric