Debian

Debian is an independent, community-run distro. Its Stable edition keeps package versions largely unchanged between releases, with security fixes provided through updates.

That makes the system more predictable, but software in its repositories can be older than the latest upstream releases. The main tradeoff is fewer changes in exchange for waiting longer for new features.

Unique features

• Community-run: Built and managed by its community.
• Stable releases: Fewer changes between versions.
• Backports: Get selected newer apps on Stable.

Pros

• Fewer changes between stable releases.
• Built and managed by its community.

Cons

• Packages can be older than elsewhere.
• You may have to wait longer for new features.

Choose this if...

• You want fewer changes to your system.
• You don't mind waiting for newer software.
• You'd like a distro run by its community.