When comparing Netrunner vs SparkyLinux, the Slant community recommends SparkyLinux for most people. In the question“What are the best Debian-based Linux distributions?” SparkyLinux is ranked 32nd while Netrunner is ranked 33rd. The most important reason people chose SparkyLinux is:
You have access to a large user repository, Ubuntu guides can mostly be applied since both are based on Debian.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Everything works well out of the box
Works well. Very similar to my experiance with Manjaro.
Pro Beautiful and faithful KDE implementation
Modified but not overly tweaked (like BlueStar Linux or Ka OS).
Pro nice feel
Pro Always up-to-date
The "rolling" edition of Netrunner is based on Manjaro (an Arch derivative) which offers a semi-rolling release.
Pro Quick & lightweight
Surprisingly snappy for a fairly fully-featured distro.
Pro Netrunner Core is ideal for workstation
Netrunner Core is a vanilla version based on Debian Stable that only uses 400 MB RAM.
Pro Based on Debian
You have access to a large user repository, Ubuntu guides can mostly be applied since both are based on Debian.
Pro Rolling or Stable Choice
You have the option for Sparky to be based on Stable or Non-Stable, bringing greater flexibility to user priorities.
Pro Lightweight core
Sparky is designed to be lightweight in it's core. It is based on Debian but optimised for old hardware, meaning you can run a full heavy desktop environment on a lightweight foundation, bringing greater performance compared to similar Debian or Ubuntu-based distros.
Pro All vanilla desktop environments available
Any Linux desktop in it's vanilla form can be installed on top of Sparky, whether that be alongside a pre-existing environment, or on top of a basic command line system. Furthermore, the command line system is easy to operate due to Sparky's advanced installer utility, from which you can choose whichever desktop environment you desire, straight from the Debian repositories. Guidance is on their website.
Pro Rolling Release
Cons
Con Very heavy on resources
The heaviest Linux distro I've ever used. It often gets my laptop fan to fly.