after a new debian based distro

[oxtail75]

could some one please recomand a debian based distro that is not ubuntu or based on it i have googled it and come up with a load of them

i am after the folowing thing in the distro
more bleeding age software then what is in etch
gnome as default Wm
no more them 700MB iso

[devils casper]

If you have good internet connection then I would suggest you to go for Debian Unstable through Netinstall.
You will have minimal base system and you can install Gnome or any other DE easily using apt-get/aptitude. Dont forget to change sources from testing to unstable before installing DE.

[daark.child]

Mepis, Sidux and Debian Testing or Unstable.

[Dapper Dan]

I haven't used it in a while, but based on my good experiences with it, I second Mepis.

[oxtail75]

thank you for the input i giveing debian and mepis a try

[masinick]

Mepis, Sidux and Debian Testing or Unstable.

SimplyMEPIS 7.0 is a very stable, easy to install and use distribution, and I keep it on my desktop and use it often.

sidux brings additional tools and stability to the core of Debian Sid, so it is highly recommended if you want to run very current software yet have it work.

Both MEPIS and sidux are somewhat more convenient to install than straight Debian simply because the Debian project serves so many interests and architectures. Nevertheless, it is the Debian packaging and repositories that form such a solid base for both MEPIS (on the stable end) and sidux (on the cutting edge). If you run multiple systems, I recommend them both. If not, choose either the stable (MEPIS) or the cutting edge (sidux) based on your preferences. Both are excellent and I recommend both.

[oz]

I've not installed regular Debian for several years now, but always liked it much better than any of the spinoffs that are based on it.

Good luck with the search!

[markharding557]

i would recomend you try debian testing(current name lenny)this is far more up to date than debian etch but much more stable than unstable you can get a net install cd here Debian -- Debian-Installer

[devils casper]

I was using Debian testing for 4-5 months and switched to unstable last month only. Debian unstable is as much stable as others. I am doing regular updates and its working fine. Latest, bleeding edge packages....