[mcbridematt]

I use it as a firewall/router/network appliance OS.

The neat thing is that most of the things you need for that role are in the base install, which is quite minimal.

[raphaelss]

Given its reputation, I was surprised at how little I needed to do to have a suitable working environment.

[e12e]

Which reputation is that?

[raphaelss]

That it is more suitable for a firewall or router than desktop. To be clear, I didn't actually expect it to be bad at that. I was just surprised at how quick and easy it was to install it and to have a setup that I enjoy.