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The Labs likes Debian 4.0
Apr. 19, 2007

Over at eWEEK Labs, they've taken Debian 4.0 out and given it a spin on both x86 and x86-64 systems. Their verdict? They like this new Debian.

While not as cutting edge as the just released Ubuntu 7.04, they appreciated a Linux distribution that didn't take a cutting edge approach, since that all-too-often becomes the bleeding edge.

In fact, except for a pair of Mono-based applications, Debian ran flawlessly for them.

In particular, top analyst Jason Brooks liked Debian 4.0's support for full volume encryption as a basic installation option, and that the distribution has expanded its embrace of SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux) for tightening system permissions.

The encryption option works by creating a small unencrypted boot partition. The rest of your partitions, including swap, are then created as encrypted logical volumes, which are managed by the LVM (logical volume manager).

This means that if your laptop got swiped, your thief is going to have a heck of a time getting useful information out of your machine. Since serious security breeches by laptop thieves seem to be becoming an every day occurrence, this is reason enough alone to consider Debian.

Personally, I'm still fonder of the SUSE and Ubuntu/MEPIS Linux families, but for that last feature alone, I think anyone who does a lot of travel for work with valuable information on board their notebook should give Debian due consideration. It may just save your job.


-- Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols



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