like not doing anything, just a spare laptop in case i ever need one, what if i use it years after i installed debian on it?? i would have to update like 300 packages and would take a lot??

    • data1701d (He/Him)@startrek.website
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      1 day ago

      I wouldn’t necessarily say that - Debian and FreeBSD releases have roughly the same support lifespan, meaning if installed on release day, you’d get a few (~5 years) years of support without major upgrades.

      I’d say both systems have a high chance of success at upgrading to the immediate next version, so that becomes maybe 7 or 8 years when adding the years of support left on the now older immediate next version.

      For a second immediate next upgrade, you might be right that a BSD has a better chance of surviving.

      I wouldn’t know about Open SD, though, as they operate on point releases and I don’t know to what extent they prevent breaking changes.