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Vital Stats:
Distro base - Itself, Debian is the mother of a lot of modern distros
Packaging - .deb (Managed by the mighty Apt)
Linux Kernel - 2.6.26
Default Desktop - Gnome 2.22.1

Installation:

The boot menu

I downloaded the Lenny net install CD image, my prefered installation method with Debian. I find it a bit wasteful to burn 3 full DVDs and then only use one of them. There’s some merit in having everything downloaded before you start but if you’ve got a reasonably fast and stable Internet connection I recommend the network install personally. I was fortunate enough to have a chat with Steve McIntyre (the current Debian Project Leader) on a recent episode of Linux Outlaws where he told us there are even Blu-ray images available now with everything on one disc. That sounds amazing but not having the small fortune it requires to purchase a Blu-ray burner at the moment it wasn’t an option for me sadly.

Installing Lenny

I booted up from the CD to get started, as always testing with my trusty Dell XPS m1330n laptop. I chose the graphical install and proceeded through the usual prompts for language, location and so on. The installer looks the same to me on the surface as the Etch installer, I’d heard people raving about “the new Debian installer” but I don’t see any evidence of it. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it works well and as the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. I was informed pretty quickly there were no drivers available for my Intel wireless card but was instead offered the option to load them from a disc, I didn’t have one. It wasn’t a major problem since I could use the Ethernet port for the network install anyway. The base system was then installed from the CD really quickly, I mean lighting quick. All the additional packages need to be downloaded from a network mirror and you’re offered the chance to pick one near you. Picking the nearest one to your location will usually result in much faster download times, so choose carefully. I picked the default UK server and was prompted to choose which package sets to install: Web server, mail server, DNS server, desktop, laptop and many more. I chose the Desktop, Laptop and Standard groups, leaving all the server options alone.

Read Full Review at Siurce Web Site: danlynch.org