Hello rory,

On 2/18/18, Rory Geoghegan via luv-main <luv-main@luv.asn.au> wrote:
> Thanks everyone for the advice,
>
> @ Mark, I've got a process for him that we are soon to execute, the last
> thing I had to work out is which OS is the  most suitable. I will mention
> Debian to him and see what he says.

All computers need a system administrator. You and he need to both
learn. It is a bit like a toaster, fail to clean and the crumbs get
mouldy, a health risk, and the prospect of starting a fire. Too many
expect to just turn on the toaster and not clean now and then, and
treat the computer the same. They do not deserve even the technology
of the stone age.

> @Andrew, he's happy to use libre but apparently there's just times when
> word is the only option

If Word is the only option, then the option is poorly stated or needs
to be discarded. Word is a problem with no solution, except the demise
of Microsoft.

> @Russell would you also suggest Debian meets those requirements you listed?

Russell is a Debian developer, at least at times. As to your needs,
look at the various distributions, but remember to scratch under the
surface. The desktop matters, whether Gnome, KDE, Mate, Mint or other
lightweight option. Then remember that most will support most
applications, and can be given a different theme and background for
the eye candy. Look to the functionality first, that is what you and
he have to live with.

As to whether the Debian package management, or the Red Hat derived
ones, you need to find what works your way. The reason I go for Debian
and such is the package management tools, especially the handling of
dependencies. This is less of an issue with the higher level package
management front ends for Red Hat based systems, but it is built into
the base level and fully available with the Debian package management
tools.

Do be aware that there are other package management means, from Gentoo
using source based and compiling everything, to the way Slackware uses
tarballs, tape archives, a collection of concatenated files, usually
also compressed, and a small amount of extra detail, but not to the
levels of the RPM or DEB packages.

The big advantage of Linux is the diversity and choices, so that you
can make it work the way you want. The downside is that you do have to
be engaged, but that has big benefits as time goes on.

> Thanks again.
>
>
>
>
>
> Sincerely Rory Geoghegan

Regards,

Mark Trickett
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