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Hi guys,
I recently opened my own software/web dev business. I want to make a move to linux for all of my development.
I'm trying to plan ahead for when and if I need to hire people on. What would be the best distro to use.
Depends on what you plan to develop. If you intend to do systems work, or get deep into the kernel, you might want to look at Slackware. Slackware doesn't get in your way with a lot of distribution-specific goodies. It tends not to muck about with the software it include. So, in my experience, introducing new software to a Slackware machine has been a problem.
I can't say that for the RPM-based distributions I've used. What you need may not be available in an RPM. If it is, third-party RPM's have, on occasion, caused problems for me. And, compiling from scratch can lead you very quickly into Library Dependency Hell.
On the other hand, if you intend to focus on web work, perhaps building sites using php with mysql on the backend, or something similar, you probably won't be installing or testing systems or kernel code. So, consider an established distribution with a reputation for stability. Debian certainly has that. I've been impressed with SuSE 8.2 Professional (enough to pre-order the next release). RedHat and Mandrake have similar virtues.
Last piece of advice: If you're setting up a development business, spend a lot more time trying to figure out how to make money than worrying about the "best" distribution. Your customers wll not care about the software you use.
