I'm a Linux user already. Should I use Pluto's distribution

From Pluto Wiki

Yes, Pluto is based on a standard Debian Sarge distribution. We only added to it--we didn't take away. So you can still use your Core as a normal Debian Linux PC. And the additions we made can be bypassed if they get in your way, explained below. DCERouter and the other devices, like the home automation modules, all run in the background in screen sessions and won't interfere. While you could try to run Pluto on your own distribution, it's not really recommended. Pluto has lots of scripts and utilities to facilitate various tasks. Plus Pluto embeds many other open source projects, like Xine, Asterisk, etc., with our own "wrappers" that allows them to work together seamlessly. These wrappers are only tested against the versions we maintain in our Debian mirror. And before we upgrade anything on our mirror, we thoroughly test the new packages in our system to be sure it still works. Also remember you only need to install Pluto's software on 1 PC to be able to use it on all the PC's in your home. The Core exposes a network boot service for every other PC so they become dual purpose--hard drive boot to use them like you do now, or net boot them to use them as media directors. So you don't need to dedicate any PC's to be media directors; only the one PC running the Core which provides this service needs to be left always running Pluto's software. Here's what we changed:

Configuration scripts

Pluto includes lots of scripts that automate all aspects of maintaining a Linux system. For example, when you add a new user with the Pluto Admin site, it automatically creates a new media directory, exports a samba share, creates an email and voicemail accounts, and so on. There's also scripts to do lots of low-level things like setup ip network prioritization so your VOIP calls are clear. By default, Pluto overwrites and re-creates many Linux config files at each boot so Pluto acts like a black box appliance. However, once you install Pluto you can go to the Pluto Admin web site, click "Advanced", "Boot Scripts", and disable any or all of these scripts. Then you can still maintain your Pluto Core like any other Linux PC and it won't overwrite your config files.

Our Debian mirror

We maintain our own mirror based on Debian Sarge. The reason is that we have "wrappers" for many open source projects like Xine, Asterisk, etc., which is what makes them all work together seamlessly. Whenever updates are posted to Debian's repository, we need to test the new versions to be sure the changes did not break anything in our wrappers, and that the auto-configuration scripts still work. In very rare cases, we need to make our own version of a package that replaces the one in Debian. But we avoid that whenever possible, and instead will re-work our wrappers so that we can stay current with the "stock" version. Any such changes are trivial, and therefore you should see no difference between Pluto's Debian mirror and the official one.

Window manager

The media directors use our own modified version of the Ratpoison window manager. All applications appear as full-screen, with no borders, and our Orbiter GUI becomes the XWindows desktop. This is the desired behavior in an appliance-like set-top box; we completely isolate the user from anything computer-like. However, you will likely not want this as your main desktop. So, we recommend you run 2 versions of X on separate terminals: one with Pluto's window manager, and the other with your own preferred choice.

See also: Overview of the software modules