[TriLUG] Debian on basic file server

[Igor Partola via TriLUG]

I am with Ken on this one. I don't use micro distros anymore because space
is no longer a constraint. You can pare down a Debian or Ubuntu install to
only use a few MB's of RAM at baseline, then do whatever you need to do
with the rest of the RAM. There is a lot to be said for a familiar distro
and not spending extra time learning a new-to-you filesystem layout, config
syntax, etc.

Besides, requirements change. You won't always be just serving files. At
some point you might want to run a media server, rtorrent, OpenVPN,
whatever on there. Suddenly, having fresh packages is important.

Gone are the days when storage was expensive. Running the OS off a USB
stick now gives you 16-128 Gigabytes (!!!) of space easily. If you spring
for a $40 SATA SSD you can get 32-64 GB's at fantastic speeds. Why would
you try to instead run your OS off a very slow CD when you can do so much
better? Why try to cram your OS into a tiny image when storage is so cheap?

I honestly feel like microdistros have had their day and now the only ones
we need are those that are meant to run on specialized hardware (OpenWRT),
or are purpose-built to run as appliances (FreeNAS).

This is all of course just IMHO.

Igor