I don't know how welcome this point of view is, but, here goes. 

I started on RH 4.1, back before kernel modules, before ppp was part of the kernel, etc (1997). After a brief detour to suse, I changed to Debian and stayed there for ten years. The package management system is way cleaner than RH, and the system organization is also simpler.  I left Debian for Ubuntu as soon as I new about it because I got tired of debating how many GPL-licensed angels could dance on the head of a pin. Ubuntu has been great-- aside from some temporary interface issues. The only reasons I have used SL, or any other RH derivative recently, were workplace requirements. Ubuntu has encryption capabilities that require licenses, and we are fighting that fight right now.. Ubuntu is, basically, Debian. The package vocabulary is WAY bigger than any set of RH repositories. In fact, I just don't understand why SL is called scientific when Ubuntu is not. There is a huge set of technical packages in standard Ubuntu. Make the leap as soon as you can. If there is no internal resistance, do it today. You will not regret it. If you like the RH user interface, just get the gnome-session-flashback package. It's a slightly updated gnome-2 environment. I still use it. 

Art Edwards

-- 
  Arthur H. Edwards
  [log in to unmask]

On Wed, Feb 3, 2021, at 5:52 PM, Keith Lofstrom wrote:
> Having been burned by IBM before, and with no guarantee
> that "Long-term Redhat for individuals" will survive IBM's
> legal department into the far future --- I'm thinking about
> abandoning 25 years of Redhat experience and switching to
> Debian, while my aging brain can still handle change.
> 
> Debian - yikes!
> 
> Thinking about - not decided, though I halted work on a
> server upgrade to CentOS 8 while I wait for the dust to
> settle.  Rocky in April is another option, but if IBM
> goes after them, they will be a wet spot on the floor.
> 
> So - who else is contemplating a move to Debian?  
> 
> I very much hope to stay connected to the "scientific"
> aspect of our community.  Making big changes together
> with other science computationalists would be easier.
> 
> Easier still would be staying with an RPM distro, IF it
> remained useful and legal and affordable for our kind of
> computing.  An e-commerce and corporate infrastructure
> focused distro, not so much.
> 
> Keith
> 
> P.S. I remember the Red Hat booth at OSCON 2014, after the
> Borging of CentOS, where I was assured that they would
> support CentOS into the distant future.  That "assurance"
> survived the IBM acquisition by 18 months.  What changes
> will 5 more years of IBM (and their formidable lega
> department, called the Nazgul by other technology lawyers)
> result in?
> 
> 
> -- 
> Keith Lofstrom          [log in to unmask]
>