I am an Ubuntu user for some time now and I am thinking of trying some other Linux OS. After extensive search I decided to try either Debian or Cent OS. But I have some concerns:Both Debian and Cent OS are said to be very stable so some of the packages featured in them are old versions. So if a program has a bug or a security vulnerability and one must upgrade immediately to a newly released version will I be able to do so or I will have to keep using the problematic version?As far as upgrades go (newer software versions or system bugs, security upgrades etc.) does those operating systems get automatic upgrades as Ubuntu does once in a while or the only way to upgrade either software packages or the system will be to install the newer version of the OS when it is be available?I have heard that once Cent OS is installed I don't get codexes and I have to install some basic software through third party repositories. What does this mean for me? Will I have a problem?I want to clarify that I want to use those operating systems for a desktop computer.
From Ubuntu to Debian or CentOS
linux;debian;centos
I moved from Ubuntu to Debian a couple of years ago and never regret this decision. Concerning your questions:You can use different branches of Debian. As a new user I would recommend the stable branch (which is indeed very stable but sometimes lacks new software) or the testing branch (which is only a little less stable but provides newer software). Both branches provide security updates. They are installed everytime you do a system update.Debian Stable doesn't get any new software - only bug fixes and security updates. Debian Testing is rolling release *), meaning that new software is provided continuously. This is a difference to Ubuntu, where you have to upgrade to the new version every once in a while to get new software.I cannot answer this question as I have never used Cent OS. I heard that it is a good, stable distribution. As it is used for servers, it also should be quite secure.Coming from Ubuntu, you might want to consider that Debian is more similar to Ubuntu (to be precise, Ubuntu is built upon Debian). Both, Debian and Ubuntu use Apt. Cent OS is a derivate of Red Hat Linux and uses RPM instead. There is nothing wrong with either of them, however you might already be more used to the Debian approach.*) To be precise, just before the current testing release becomes the new stable release, there is a so called freeze. In this time window testing doesn't get any new software - just bug fixes. After that, when the new stable release is out you have to perform a dist-upgrade (apt-get dist-upgrade) to update your system to the new testing-release (if you want to do so, make sure your /etc/apt/sources.list contains the word testing instead of the name of the current testing release, e.g. stretch).