LOL I know this thread is ancient, but even 3+ years later I still use Debian as a desktop and Slackware as a toy for pretty much everything. Almost as fun as *BSD.

Slackware as a toy?????????????

Since this thread began and since 2002 a LOT has changed. Slackware has even gotten simpler to deal with. X is no longer a chore to install or set up in Slackware. Good old Slackware remains one of the few distros out there to use run level 3 by default - the multi user command line rather than run level 5 - the graphical user environment, but Slackware is also real clear about how to change that, and it also has an easy way to start X from the command line.

Slackware is probably one of the easiest HOBBYIST distros around, but it is not generally even considered for consumer distributions.

Debian has come a long way in five years. It has probably changed more than Slackware in that time because the Debian installer was old, asked a million questions, and did not do much for you. In my opinion it STILL asks too many questions, but midway through 2007 I used the small installation program, netinst, to install a stable release of Debian, the Etch release, and other than asking too many questions, it was quite easy and straightforward.

You have to keep in mind that in the case of Debian, it really is a core framework, from which other systems can be built. Some of the easiest to install and use systems in the world OF ANY TYPE are now based on Debian. Good examples are Dream Linux, Freespire, Linspire, Linux Mint, SimplyMEPIS, Ubuntu, Xandros, and many others.

Slackware has also built up quite a derivative community at the same time. SLAX is now one of the top Live CDs (which can be installed to disk) and it is trivial to install and use. Vector Linux is also based on Slackware and it, too, is simple to install and simple to use. There are many others.

The issue about ease of use really is not the right question. I would say ease of installation is a question to raise, but I would respond that if either Debian or Slackware are too difficult to deal with, you are probably in the wrong category, and you should be looking at SLAX or Vector if you like Slackware ideas, and use SimplyMEPIS, Ubuntu, or one of those derivatives if you are considering Debian software.

The simple fact is that both Slackware and Debian, in my estimation, lead the pack when it comes to stability and security. They are both leaders by any Linux standard in those areas. Consumer grade is not really an attribute of either of them. For those, look elsewhere.

On servers and in corporations, I take a different stance then. Novell's SLED (desktop) and SLES (server) provide solid enterprise quality software and support. To me, though, this is where Red Hat really wins. In the enterprise, there is no better software than Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). There are also free versions available from smaller companies, if you want to save money - E.g. CentOS, Lineox, White Box, etc. To me, these do not compare favorably to consumer grade systems for hobbyist or home use, but they are superior for corporate use. I'd rank Red Hat number one there. I've used it corporately and I am impressed with what you get.

Summary:
Slackware and Debian are both within the grasp of the hobbyist to master. They are not designed with the consumer in mind at all. Only consumers with a hobbyist mentality need even consider them. However, there are plenty of distributions formed from both Slackware and Debian, and MANY of these are not only worth consideration, they are recommended for first time Linux users.

Corporate citizens ought to look at Novell's SUSE lineup and Red Hat's Enterprise lineup. Red Hat has the edge here.

Oh yeah, I wanted to comment on one other thing: security. OpenBSD is often touted for having the most secure code and the fewest problems. That needs to be qualified. The default installation, consisting primarily of server code, is audited, line by line, for stability and security. In that space, you cannot top OpenBSD. It is first rate. If, however, you are going to use a desktop system, you would be hard pressed to beat the Debian model. The security updates, while not audited like OpenBSD, are very current and just by updating your software on a weekly or monthly schedule you can achieve extremely stable, secure software with a Debian approach.

All three under discussion, OpenBSD, Debian, and Slackware, rank well in both stability and security. Unless we are splitting hairs, I would not dismiss any of them on the basis of providing a stable, secure platform. All three are really solid. They beat nearly all commercial alternatives in both categories, yet are much less expensive to install and maintain.

As to reply to the title "Debian vs Slackware", I personally would say Debian. I used Slack once and gave up because I was having trouble with Lilo, I had Windows on the same machine. I just got a new semiold computer, so I'm going to install Slack on it so I can use Lilo. But I now use Debian and I love it. I started out with Ubuntu which is like a child of Debian, so I had a head start. Debian is now really easy to install using the new GUI install in Lenny/Sid. It is ultra customizable. I only had issues with GNU and GPL non non-free source software. But a few "sudo aptitude install *******" took care of that. I rarely crashes if ever.

dont agree with you at all.....Slackware was so much harder to install than debian.... i pretty sure i could install Debian high and three sheets to the wind...its been like 2 1/2 yrs since i installed slack but theres no way i could do it over and over again... i think ive installed and set up debian about 25 times now.... ill use it for a while format then try something else but seriously its really not that hard to install

That comment by trickykid is from 2002, a lot has change with Debian in that time..

Might want to check dates before dredging up really old topics and comments ....

And Slack has changed too in 2 1/2 years.