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Ask YC: What Linux Distro to choose?

3 points by alexk 18y ago

Hi All, I'm setting my web app on the VPS server and I need to choose Linux distro. I know Fedora best of all, but there can be distro that suits for this target better then Fedora, so if you have ideas, advices and experience, please do not hesitate to post :) Thanks, Alex

ichverstehe 18y ago
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=160288 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=160288 .. and I still recommend Debian or Ubuntu Server. Running the later at my VPS. It's neat.
- kashif 18y ago
  Which VPS?
  - ichverstehe 18y ago
    A 256MB slice at SliceHost.
    - alexk 18y ago
      how good is SliceHost?
      - ichverstehe 18y ago
        So far I haven't really used it for anything but minor stuff. But I have a very good impression, it took only a few minutes creating the slice, the management interface is great. No cons at the moment.
- alexk 18y ago
  OK, thanks for the link
st3fan 18y ago
Am I the only one who thinks that Fedora/RedHat/Suse all have terrible package management? I just love the deb-based package system of Debian and Ubuntu. It's fast, there are hundreds of mirrors and it never ever fails me.
- babo 18y ago
  With the latest Fedoras it is the same experience as Ubuntu or Debian.
- alexk 18y ago
  rpm system was not enough, but yum changed the state of things
albertcardona 18y ago
The ubuntu server edition is relatively small for all it packages, and sets up most services for you. Very easy to use. All services are started/stopped via: $ sudo /etc/init.d/servicename start|stop|restart|status Typing $ sudo /etc/init.d/servicename without any argument will list the possible args. Couldn't be easier.
vegai 18y ago
Arch Linux. It's supported by Slicehost
- rkowalick 18y ago
  I LOVE Arch Linux. It is blazingly fast, even on old computers. My favorite part about it is it never does anything without you telling it to. You set up everything when you install it. You configure the installation, you pick the Desktop or WM. You set up the networking. They also have a really good package manager and AWESOME user repositories that have pretty much anything you would ever need. Honestly, I got into Linux because I wanted control over my computer. I started out with Ubuntu because everyone says it's a great place to start. I got fed up twiddling with GUI settings and undoing what Ubuntu had done. I installed Arch. It took a couple of hours, but at the end, I had a computer that I set up entirely. I knew everything I did and how to change anything should the need arise. Also, if you have an easily configurable internet connection, you can download the FTP install ISO which is all of 30MB and get up to date packages right from the start. Their user community is also fantastic. Check out www.archlinux.org for more info.
eugenejen 18y ago
I used VPS lately. I used Fedora just because I have been using Redhat since 1996. I met some admins who are used to Debian while I need to take a week to adapt. Another reason for me to use Fedora/Centos/Redhat is I need to use some close source, and those close source is target at Fedora. So if you are using open source software only, then you just need to use the tools that you are most familiar with. For me, I just want to spemd more time to work on the product and reduce the time that I need to admin the system.
kashif 18y ago
Debian Etch or Ubuntu Server because there is NO dependency hell. Additionally, Debian based systems are extremely stable - only after BSD(IMHO)
progg 18y ago
Since you already know Fedora, use CentOS. In case you decide later on to move your stuff to dedicated server, centos(rhel) has the best support for the big enterprise servers like Dell PowerEdge. Most of the software can be installed through the yum, just add rpmforge repo: rpm -Uhv http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/i386/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-release-0.3.6-1.el5.rf.i386.rpm http://apt.sw.be/redhat/el5/en/i386/rpmforge/RPMS/rpmforge-r... Updating the system is really easy, and if you do not know how to setup something, http://howtoforge.org/ http://howtoforge.org/ has most likely info you will need.
mpk 18y ago
I use Debian for servers all the time. Uptime, stability, support, etc all world-class. Well, there was that OpenSSL bit last week, but let's ignore that for now .. The packaging system is great, but you really do need to understand it or you'll spend a lot of frustrated hours appending '--force --work-damn-you' to everything. Debian major release cycles usually span several years. If you want to use the latest version of whizz-bang software you'll have to - selectively include it from 'unstable', or - build it from source and install it on the server, - or (my choice) build it, package it in .deb format and put it on a private package repository and have the server install from there. Debian infrastructure is about long-term planning. This means figuring a lot of things out, but it tends to pay off in the long run.
mdasen 18y ago
The most important thing: use one of the long-term distros. If you choose Ubuntu, go for the LTS even when it isn't the latest. If you're a RedHat fan, pass over Fedora for CentOS/RHEL. If you go with Debian, don't use testing. My personal opinion is that if you're already familiar with RedHat/Fedora, CentOS will fit you better. Most of the time with these things it's familiarity that will trump all the superiority that fanboys flame about.