plan b

Here, I'm running Debian, Arch, openSUSE, and Ubuntu (and I use GParted Live for partitioning). I don't think I'll ever cut that list down to only one distro, even though I mostly lean on Debian. Even if I did, I'd still have at least two installations of that one distro, with different DE/WM setups. Being able to do something like this is one of the benefits or being a Linux user.

I'm kinda staying away from distros with small dev teams, or one-man distros. I'm glad they're out there; they help to keep the Linux world fresh and new, and there are many times when one is really the best tool for the job. But you just can't count on 'em to be around over the long term, or to keep a fairly consistent focus over the years. If you use one, it's good to have some other distro to fall back on, for sure.

CrunchBang is only the latest of these types of distros to die out. It happens.

Ken Starks, in "When Linux Distros Are Abandoned":

"If you are going to rely upon a Linux distro, you would probably do yourself a favor by having a plan B yourself...

"We’ve learned that it’s prudent to build our house on rock and not sand..."


I agree with that approach. That's why Debian's my main distro, why I prefer well-documented distros that have been around for a long time, and why I keep using various distros, not just one.