Hi, I can certainly tell you the features that are important to me, and why I use Red Hat aposed to another such as Slack or Debian.Here are my top Red Hat features in no particular order. 1. Red Hat has several methods of installation which often times is invaluible. You have the kickstart install which is a text file with commands which allows Red Hat to be installed automatically without you having to answer any questions, and installed the way you like including formatting, making partitions, etc. Another install method is over a telnet connection. This is vary helpful when speakup can't be used, and you need an accessible way to install. The last install method is by linking two computers together by the serial ports, and doing a terminal install. Also helpful when speakup can't be used for install. 2. Red Hat is a vary large distrobution, and you can get an rpm binary of a program for just about anything. some comercial programs, businesses, target Red Hat users, and won't garentee there product on other distros such as Debian. 3. Red Hat was one of the first distros to come compiled with gcc 3.x, and any programs compiled with 3.x will not work with libs build with older versions of gcc. Debian has been dragging it's feet on getting with the program and getting a distro built with gcc 3.2 which they need to be to be compatible with new programs. 4. Red Hat has one of the best hardware manigement and configuration tools I have found. The kudzu program basically sets up all of your hardware it can find, and in the case of an os compatible sound card you can use sndconfig to configure your sound. 5. I need X-windows for allot of things a5. Red Hat's X-Windows configuration tools are unmatched. It will probe for your monitor, vidio card, and attempt to configure X all by itself with a few minor questions. I've found Debians setup for X to be a nightmare, and far out dated. 6. Red Hat is vary easy to turn on and off services. You don't have to edit files to turn on say apache. Just type service httpd start and it automatically comes up. You can even specify what run levels you want a service to run in weather it is 3 5 or whatever. 7. Red Hat has become a well known distro at IBM, Del, Intel, just to name names. They are investing in that distro, and you can expect it to succeed while less known distros become less used, and less known.Some small less known distros may die out leaving the popular ones to stay standing. Summary I think Red Hat's popularity stems from good marketing, attempting to add the ease of use of MS Windows, and target the group of people who want something like Windows, but isn't Windows. Debian is a traditional sort of Linux which doesn't try to cash in by making a distro to compete with Windows, one that is a do it yourself os, and targets their users, and if anyone joins that group they say, "good." If not they say, "oh, well..."
