Monday, February 09, 2009

Still sticking with sidux in 2009!

The sidux site often shows reviews of their software, and I never mind it when they point to one of my blog entries, which often extol the virtues of using sidux. There has not been a new sidux release in Q1 2009 yet, but that does not stop me from continuing to use sidux every day and writing enthusiastic reviews about it. At the USALUG http://usalug.org/phpBB2/index.php where I hang around a lot, they know my opinions about Debian software in general and sidux in particular - that sidux is an awesome distribution that really tames the frequently out of control Debian Sid beast, turning it from a cutting edge, but sometimes bleeding distribution into a razor sharp, "smooth shave" that leaves your face feeling smooth and your system running equally smoothly.

The "Cool Yule" edition of sidux 2008-04 was simply the latest in the line of sidux releases, which come out on approximately a quarterly basis. There really is no need to constantly grab the ISO images - you can get one and stick with it for a couple of years. On one of my older, once stable laptop systems, I did just that, installing the 2007-04.5 "Christmas Edition" of sidux, and I simply updated it periodically, sometimes choosing to grab newer themes from the sidux repositories without having to go through the hassle of reinstalling and reconfiguring everything over and over again.

At the same time, I enjoy testing, so I also typically grab each new version and install it on at least one of my systems. The Gateway PA6A laptop that I am using now has the latest version, sidux 2008-04, and it is running so smoothly that it is easy to forget that this is quite a volatile, ever changing system. That fact never disturbs this system one bit. I can update daily, if I want, or I can go a week or a month without updating. I tend to prefer keeping things as current as I can. On most other systems, that can cause certain things to break, at least for a while, and in a few cases, it can break the system entirely. NEVER with sidux! I have been using sidux since the middle of 2007 on a regular basis, and I've been using sidux instances as my main desktop system since late 2007. While there is always the possibility of a problem emerging in any system, especially one that frequently changes, my personal experience has been perfect with sidux, despite constant change.

I can think of other systems (Debian based ones in particular) that offer me similar stability, but I have not encountered any other system of any type that offers me both the latest software coupled with an excellent working environment that I can count on, and that is why sidux continues to be my favorite cutting edge desktop system.

No comments: