[CLUE-Talk] RH or Deb ?

[Sean LeBlanc]

On 12-09 06:49, Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier wrote:
> Hi Marcin,
> 
> > I've got a little question to US CLUE members:
> > which linux RedHat or Debian GNU/Linux is most popular in the USA and
> > why?

> As far as "why" Red Hat is more popular... they managed to grab
> an early lead on market share, and they've become something of
> a de facto standard. They have good corporate support, which is
> where most adoption of Linux is happening in the U.S. (Well,
> corporate, government and educational institutions -- not home
> use.)

My personal interest in Redhat started when I found out about the ability to
install from one or two floppies. I had installed Slackware at home since it
was the online manuals at the time paid the most (any?) attention to. At
work, they wanted to set up a mailing list and gave that project to me as an
"atta-boy" for other stuff I had done...in lieu of better wages. :) My boss
dug up a 486, I believe, and off I went.

I found out about Redhat's disk-based network install, and I knew Redhat was
the one to try for this  - I didn't want to do the huge floppy-swap fiasco
again that I had done with Slackware...ISO wasn't an option then. So I
downloaded the floppy image(s), started it up, and let it run overnight.
When I walked in the next day, all went okay. I was hooked...at least for a
few years. It sure looked good to my bosses, too, since the alternative
would have been to see me waste who knows how much time sitting at that
computer swapping disks.   

I wonder how many others switched to Redhat around that time (late 1994,
early 1995), and for similar reasons. They were also the first to make it
clear that you could buy support from them, so that may have been another
big enticement for corps, anyway.

-- 
Sean LeBlanc:seanleblanc at americanisp.net  
http://users.americanisp.net/~seanleblanc/
Get MLAC at: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mlac/
Using words to describe magic is like using a screwdriver to cut roast beef. 
-Tom Robbins