Thanks Falko. I must say I am drawn to Debian
However I just up a new server and this time around I ended up going with what I was used to, CentOS - I didn't have enough time as my dedicated server renewal was up tomorrow, so I wanted to get a new server asap (to save me $120).
I am also trialling a new server company (I think you use them too) if it goes well for a few months I will get a more powerful server... and then seriously consider Debian - and whether to use a control panel or not.
What do you think? Would I be better off without a CP? Primarily because I want to use the latest versions of Ruby/Postgres etc. Is it easy enough to set-up emails/SPF records etc without a control panel?
Thanks in advance.