deap.eu grep gpl /gnu/linux

Here I am: between Archlinux, my daily GNU/Linux distribution; Mandriva Linux, the one I set up for my friends and family; and Debian, running this website. Why three different distros? Because each one is designed with specifics goals.

Mandriva Linux is a really good desktop distro, easy to install, running on many different hardware and user-friendly, it is the distribution I used for about 10 years. But Mandriva, as many other highly automated distributions as Suse, Redhat (or worth of all: ubuntu), is not easy to understand: editing a configuration file lids you to loads of lines that aims to take into account about all cases. And low-level documentation is not really exhaustive nor up-to-date (when it exists). In other words, if you aim to become a Jedi and want to learn how does the force operate, you will be in pain with the documentation.

Debian's goal is simple: to be the universal stable operating system. It is correctly documented, stable (even if carrying old annoying bugs), but really, really out of date! So if you want to learn how to run servers in the pure tradition of bearded men, go on!

Archlinux, the last one I kissed, subtle alchemy between stability and up-to-date software. The arch way or the way to learn by yourself, keep it Simple, Stupid, you will learn faster. I understood more about GNU/Linux in six months running Archlinux than in ten years using Mandriva. If I could, this web server would run on Archlinux.

P.S. Please don't hesitate to correct my poor English in comments below!