[Scribus] INkscape Friendly Linux Distribution _OT

[BandiPat]

John R. Culleton wrote:
> I have run Slackware since the floppy disk days but now it seems
> to be running out of steam in the DTP area. In particular
> several attempts to install Inkscape have failed. I know that
> several users of Scribus also use Inkscape. So my question is:
> whoat distro comes with Inkscape or is a capable host for
> Inkscape? How about Debian?
> 
> The distro would need to be Scribus friendly too of course. 
============
John,
Since you are coming from Slackware, you might want to continue with a
Slackware derivative, SuSE!  I really think SuSE is what Slackware hoped
to be one day.  Since I use SuSE 10.0 now, I am a bit partial to it
sure, but it's proven to be a very reliable and up to date Linux distro.

Now my next opinions are not meant to incite a riot, so please don't
take them that way.  Linux is Linux no matter what the name of it, but
some distros just seem to be a bit better planned out.  These are my own
observations from installing to using plus all other reports, reviews
from others I've seen, read or heard.

I find, if you want the most bleeding edge, go with Gentoo.  It will
build to your equipment making the most optimized setup it can.  I
understand Portage, the update program used, is loved by all Gentoo
users!  You'll spend a lot of time installing and tweaking, but once
there, I think you will be rewarded with a decent Linux!  Just try not
to become as big a zealot as most users seem to be.  ;o)

Debian and all it's derivatives are just that, Debian.  No matter what
flavor you decide on, Ubuntu, Mepis, Knoppix or one of the many others,
it remains Debian underneath.  Usually lagging in more up to date parts
and each doing a little something better or different than the other.
Because Debian drags it's feet on things, that also allows it to be
quite stable and the reason many use it on servers.  I think there are
equally stable and reliable distros available with newer files as well.

Fedora Core is purely experimental, Red Hat tells you this on their
site.  It feels that way too, as well as behaves that way!  Again, it's
Linux, so it is fixable, but it always feels unfinished to me.  I also
never get the feeling it's reached a completely stable state either,
although I think a good Red Hat user could make it feel that way.

Mandrake/Mandriva, I'm just not sure about anymore.  I've seen and heard
of some bad results from folks using it.  Everything from killing cdrom
drives to badly altered QT files.  I thought Mandrake use to be a good
beginner's Linux, but I can't say that anymore.  With the name changes,
I'm beginning to feel that Mandrake has lost it's identity and it's way.
 I'm glad to see they, as a company, made it out of the red, but I still
have my doubts as to it's longevity in the Linux world.

Again, I repeat, these comments are not mean to rile anyone.  They are
no more than my opinions and observations, not meant to be completely
factual.

Good Luck on your choice!
Patrick
-- 
          ---SuSE Linux v10.0---
        Registered Linux User #225206
    "Life's a garden, Dig It!"  --Joe Dirt