Not to knock Debian, but I have Debian on one system. I find it rather
difficult to use as a desktop. I have had the system lock up on me several
times, and sometimes act in other strange ways. This of course is not the
fault of the kernel, but what you run on top of it that makes the
difference. I'm all for GPL, but it isn't a determining factor for me. If I
can find a GPL app that works without crashing and does what I need, I use
it, otherwise I go with the other solution. The license isn't that important
to me. I like having the source, but functional bug minimum code is what I
want most. 

That said, Debian is definitely the most stable of the distributions I have
seen.

On a side note, I tried compiling a new kernel on a new SuSE install on my
server this weekend. What a nightmare! It won't compile! Plus the X11
monitor table is very incomplete! XF86 4.0.2 doesn't support my SiS 6326 3D
AGP card. And I can't find any slick X11 expert configuration utilities! At
least there's always vi (*sigh*).

Lastly, I think this thread got started by someone asking what the
differences in the distros were. Not necessarily which was best. After all
which one is best really depends on what you are going to do with it and
your level of technical knowledge.

Brian